


Schooled: LBHS Yearbook 2017-- The Year Dr. Mills Learns about Fair Play/Word Play

by capnvanillawithsprinkles



Series: Opening Up Can Open Some Wounds [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Competing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Flirting, Rivalry, Slow Burn, War of Words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26131207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capnvanillawithsprinkles/pseuds/capnvanillawithsprinkles
Summary: Emma is one of the new teachers starting at LBHS. This isn't her first time teaching, but since she's new she has to jump the same hoops as all the newbies. Regina Mills is put in charge of the group of idiots. Dr. Regina Mills, not only has to mentor the insufferable blonde but also can't seem to help being attracted to the other woman.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Series: Opening Up Can Open Some Wounds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910353
Comments: 142
Kudos: 212





	1. August 2017

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how often I will post, but I have some good ideas for this one right now. I plan this one to span years with an on and off again attempt at friendship and more. I needed a fic that was not so serious. Life is too serious right now.

Emma sprinted across her new high school parking lot, wearing her best summer casual shirt and pedal pushers. She hoped the Mickey Mouse silhouette shaped polka dots hid the stray drops of coffee that fell onto the bright red fabric. Determined to be on time for her first day of orientation at her fifth school district in her fifth state in as many years, she opened the front door. Her hope for blending into the crowd of newbie teachers waned quickly. The cavernous school commons echoed with each of her footfalls.

"Can I help you?" A sultry voice cut across from the large space

Blonde curls whipped from side to side as Emma caught sight of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. 

"Uh, yes. I'm one of the new teachers here. I was told that orientation begins today at 8:15." 

Plump red lips pursed together in a blew out an irritated puff of air. "You must be Miss Swan. We tried calling you. I sent a few emails as well. The district decided to have everyone meet at the central office instead. You will be on this campus beginning on Thursday."

Ignoring the patently derisive tone, Emma beamed her most cheerful smile--graduate school had taught her to throw overwhelming charm at uppity prickliness. "Thank you so much. I guess I will get to impress the district people with my amazing punctuality." She reached out a hand to shake with the gorgeous creature in front of her.

The brunette's returning smile felt as real as any politicians. "You are most welcome. And, before you go, what is your name, dear?"

Feeling the judgment in the other woman's tone, Emma stood a little straighter. "Emma Swan. I will be teaching AP World History and AP Sociology. And, who might you be?"

"I wouldn't count on that. AP classes are usually reserved for the more experienced and educated faculty."

Emma's mouth turned into a flatline. Unsure of the woman's position, she held her tongue and nodded; she didn't trust her mouth to behave in this situation.

The older woman's tanned hands attempted to wipe non-existent wrinkles from her dress as mahogany eyes finally met sea green. "Dr. Mills. You will meet me Thursday. One of my duties is to welcome new teachers to our building and make sure each of you receives an appropriate mentor."

"I guess I will see you then. I should hurry. If I'm lucky, I will just miss the breakfast and not any of the information sessions."

Regina shook her head knowingly. No one ever enjoyed the information sessions. She suspected from Miss Swan's tone that the woman knew how little to value them. Everything anyone needed to learn about the expectations from LBHS came straight from the source, not the simpletons at the district office.

*****

After the blonde interloper left, Regina entered the front office, greeted the secretary, and knocked on Principal Gold's door.

"You may enter, Dr. Mills."

She rolled her eyes at his formality. "Rumple, you were married to my mother for a decade, since when have I been Dr. Mills when there isn't an audience?"

Grinning, he slid deeper into his leather desk chair. "Your mother always wanted you to excel. She'd be pleased with the leadership role you have taken here."

She scoffed. "We both know that Cora Mills hated that I chose to teach over practicing law. She wanted me to become the district attorney, then move on to be a judge or the mayor. We both know this."

"Regina…" his gaze softened, taking in the tired set of her shoulders. "She wanted you to be happy, above all else."

"When in her entire life, did Cora Mills ever give a damn about anyone's happiness other than hers?" Choosing a seat across the desk from her boss, she used her hands to hold her skirt to sit primly. "As much as I love to discuss my mother and her now-defunct plans for my life, I don't believe that has anything to do with why you called me in from Summer vacation. By my count, I still have three days until I am required to be here."

"Gina," he paused and cleared his throat, "I tried my best to stand in the gap between you and your mother. I see that in your eyes, my efforts failed miserably. You still haven't moved on even though she passed more than a year ago."

She glowered at him, not giving an inch to his patronizing tone. To his credit, he looked more amused than chastised. "I thought you might want to look over the teaching portfolios sent in by our new hires. It should give you an idea of who you will be meeting Thursday. And, I want you to consider mentoring Miss Swan. She's an ABD from Florida State University. She's got a good head on her shoulders and a lot of teaching experience in high schools and collegiate. I know the district has a set list of hoops to jump, but I would appreciate it if you could help her speed through the paperwork. Maybe signoff on things you feel she doesn't need to do. We both know that it is a waste of time for experienced teachers."

Her eyes hardened. "Are you asking me to lie?"

"No, I am asking you to be reasonable. Treat her like you would expect someone to treat you if you were to come to your senses and take the job that Storybrooke Academy offers you every year."

"I will not work for Mary Margaret Nolan. Ever" She seethed. 

Rumple sighed. "Regina, dear girl, when will you let that go?"

Standing, she reached for the box of portfolios. "There is nothing to let go. Her homophobic tendencies destroyed any hope of us finding any common ground."

"You were such good friends once."

"Different lifetime. She never understood when to keep her mouth shut." She lifted the box and eyed the man. He looked tired. In the last few years, his age had become more apparent. "Besides, I wouldn't want to leave the one family member who never treated me like I was an inconvenience or a disappointment."

He pushed himself to stand, using the desk to brace himself. "You were never either of those things, dearie. I am sure Cora felt the same way even if she never knew how to show it."

"I sincerely doubt that." Regina left his office carrying the box toward her classroom. She needed to know who she had to tame, teach, or drive from the profession.

**_Thursday_ **

Fighting back a sigh brought on by boredom, Emma sat in the conference room listening to Principal Gold introduce himself to the group in harmless chatter before the meeting would begin. Although he relied on a cane for walking, she believed the man could verbally eviscerate someone if necessary. She appreciated the anecdotal nature of what Gold said to each person; each word seemed open and honest. However, Emma felt he had calculated the effect of every word used.

Her eyes roamed over the group sitting at the conference table. The four men sitting together all dressed in the same polo shirts with the school logo and shorts must be new football coaches. On the far side of the table sat a group that consisted of three women and a man. The oldest couldn't be twenty-five. She sincerely doubted any of the second group had taught more than a year, if ever. 

A throaty whisper tickled the shell of the blonde's ear. "Miss Swan, didn't you feel like joining the rest of our new recruits at the table?" Dr. Mills asked in a far friendlier voice than she had used only days ago. The brunette leaned down, giving the other woman an eye full of cleavage; Emma momentarily wondered if the exposure was intentional or a benefit of circumstance.

"I prefer to keep to myself. Unless, do I need to join in at the table?" Emma's eyes once again landed on the burly men who flirted with the much younger women across the table. "I have too many IQ points to fit in with everyone on this side, and I have a decade of too much mileage for the other. Either way, those seats do not appeal to me."

Regina lifted an eyebrow, then chose to sit in the chair closest to her. "I can't disagree with your analysis. You are the exception this year. Everyone else is either a 'good ole boy,' a local, or a baby."

"I'm the exception most years," Emma muttered.

A quizzical look crossed Regina's expression, but she didn't leave her place. A burst of giggles from one of the girls made both women train their eyes back on the table. Emma watched on in horror as the coach reeled the girl in, charming her with his perfectly trimmed hair, bulging biceps, and arrogant cast to his lips.

"I think you're getting jealous of a baby. Is he your type, Miss Swan?"

She shuddered in response.

"God, no. I'm only wondering when Bambi over there will realize that the human Ken doll is lying to her with every word."

The astute observation caught Dr. Mills off guard. "How do you know he's lying to her? That could be harmless flirting?"

"Nope. He asked for her number. She's twenty-two at the most. My best guess is he's forty or will be soon. The tan line on his ring finger and how he keeps wrapping an arm around the empty chair to his right says he's either married or separated. I'd be willing to bet his wife thinks he's a dedicated husband, father, and coach."

Regina's eyes widened comically. "You do realize you are making a lot of assumptions about him, don't you?"

"I do. And I am almost never wrong." 

"That may be true, but are you any better than he is? You are sitting behind your new colleagues, showing your superiority to them when you know little to nothing about any of them. You say you are seldom wrong--usually, I am too. My first impression of most people is arguably a good measure of who they are as a person. You, Miss Swan, appeared a little slovenly, behind schedule and unapologetic about it."

Emma hardened her gaze. "It isn't my fault they changed the training location." she gritted out between clenched teeth.

"Pardon me for making assumptions about a thirty-something that shows up to professional development in casual wear and coffee stains."

The snide curl of Regina's lips teased the blonde.

"Touche'.'"

Regina turned to respond but paused as Gold stood at his place at the table's head, indicating the meeting would start. Emma blinked, surprised to find every seat in the room had filled while the two exchanged mild barbs.

"Welcome to LBHS, everyone. Here at Leopold Blanchard High, we pride ourselves on our friendliness. I am so glad to have each and every one of you on staff. I know that Dr. Mills has gone through great lengths to ensure each of you has everything you need to get started with us on Monday. LBHS has always stood for excellence. I expect nothing less from each of you." He let his eyes land on each person, making the younger ones shrink before his gaze. Emma, on the other hand, smiled benignly at him. His features lost their steel as his eyes landed on the woman in the next seat. He motioned for the brunette to come to stand beside him. "Now, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Mills. She will be giving a tour of the building, introducing you to your mentors, and ensuring you have everything you need to get started. Oh, and before you leave today, she will take you to meet my secretary, Belle. She can provide the key to your classroom. I know the coaches already have theirs. But, I am sure the rest of you would like to use your free day to set up your rooms before the entire staff comes in for pre-planning. Dr. Mills is our new teacher liaison; I will leave all of you in her capable hands. She should explain the district's expectations for your provisional year with us. My door is open if you ever need to discuss anything." He waved once as he walked toward the door. He stopped and addressed them one last time. "Oh, and don't forget BHS is having lunch catered for you today, and we will serve you breakfast tomorrow at 8 a.m. Coaches, I know you have a full plate. All of you are dismissed as soon as Dr. Mills explains the county rules. I look forward to seeing you bright and early."

Emma rolled her eyes at how the coaches fist bumped after hearing they could leave soon. The kids on the far side of the table shrank further into their chairs. The rest looked politely bored at the entire situation. The blonde continued to smile, staring straight at coffee-colored eyes with unfocused eyes; she watched the ember of irritation grow. The coaches began to whisper amongst themselves despite Dr. Mills having the floor. Now that Emma thought about it, Gold resembled almost every principal she had worked except for the Jimmy Buffet wannabe she found in Florida. Sooner or later, a female principal will give her a chance, but so far, every call back she received was a middle-aged or older white male. They loved football and reminding you that you worked for them in their little kingdom. 

"That's all you need to worry about this year. If you need clarification, please read the documents I emailed out to you last night."

Burnt coffee eyes glared into sea green. "Now that I have everyone's attention if you would be so kind as to follow me. We can get you those keys. And, the coaches can be on their way." 

The group wound around the front office area. The hall snaked in a large U shape. They stopped in front of a tiny woman with a desk and a large table covered in stacks of materials. 

Regina once again took a position in front of them. Belle propped her glasses on top of her head and smiled at the group. "Everyone. This is Belle French, Principal Gold's secretary. In many ways, she is the brains of this school. If you need anything related to the facilities, she is the person to ask. If you need to know where something is, she is the person to ask."

Belle grabbed a pen off the desk and then grabbed a notebook from the table. "If each of you will come forward when I call your name. Then, please sign next to your name, and I will hand you the classroom key and your entrance keycard. 

"Angela Adams"

Emma crept to the back of the line. 

"And where do you think you are going?"

With a small sigh, the blonde turned around behind the third young female teacher. "I was assuming my place is at the end. She's going in alphabetical order starting with A. I'm an S."

"So, you pay attention when the secretary speaks, but not me. Hmm…" Regina's breath tickled the blonde's lips as she stepped into her personal space.

The blonde locked eyes with Regina. "Dr. Mills, I'm sorry. Did I give you the impression I wasn't listening? I heard every word." She stuttered. "And, I read your email this morning over breakfast. I know that the first and second-year teachers are expected to meet with their mentor weekly. Since I have more than three years of experience, I will be required to meet with mine once a month. The county requires everyone to sit through a Formative Assessment training course, which I have already taken. We are also expected to attend the Making High Schools Work Conference. We will be receiving more information on it when it comes available. We are expected to be in comfortable clothing tomorrow since we will be primarily working in our rooms. Today, you expect us to stay here until 3. Did I leave anything out?"

The brunette's mouth fell open a little before she came to her senses. Shocked that Emma knew the detailed contents of everything she had to say, Dr. Mills found herself at a loss for words. "I guess this might be a good time for me to mention that I will be your mentor."

An evil grin popped onto pale lips. "So, mentor, are you willing to tell me is Mr. Gold is one of those principals that always tell you where you are as if you didn't know the name of the school you work at? He mentioned the school's name in some form at least four times inside of a minute."

An involuntary snort escaped; Regina's eyes flew wide in embarrassment. "Well, Miss Swan, I think our first session should be on respecting the administration."

Belle called out. "Emma Swan."

"Yep. That would be me." She responded before addressing Regina again. "If you insist, you can teach me about respecting the administration all you want. But, I didn't ask my question in front of an audience. I asked my new co-worker in hopes of learning more about the building. Instead, I discovered that my mentor is either uptight or a kiss-ass." She signed Belle's register before stepping back into Dr. Mills's personal space. "Well, Dr. Mills, I can tell you, and I will have to tolerate each other. I will do my best to stay out of your way and do what is required of me." 

Regina stood blinking as the blonde woman held her head high as she walked out into the school hallway, searching for her classroom.

"Uh, Dr. Mills, can you show me how to get to the 1400 hall?" Peter croaked from behind her. She sighed, trying to decide if the flutter in her heart was a positive or a negative thing.

**First Day of School**

Dr. Mallory Friedman walked into the teachers' lounge at lunch, evaluated her choices of where to sit, and then chose the table across the new blonde room.

"Regina, darling. It's so good to see you are still here." 

Dr. Mills glanced over at her one friend from the building. "Ah, I told you that I will not work for that woman. Not now. Not EVER." Realizing her voice projected further than she wanted, she noticed half the room turned toward them, probably listening. Whether disappointing or pleasing, Regina couldn't decide, Emma Swan ignored the exchange entirely. Her eyes remained fixed on the laptop in front of her. Brown eyes narrowed, watching the woman typing and nibbling on an energy bar.

She scoffed. "These people need to find better things to do with their lives than listen to gossip."

Mal snorted. "Please. This is a high school in suburbia. The only thing here for the adults is the gossip and a reliable income." Eyeballing the woman across the table and then tracking where her eyes gazed. She smirked at her friend. "Oh, and someone still has a thing for leggy blondes. I can't wait to tell the girls."

"What?" Regina looked horrified at the other woman. "That's just ridiculous. I assure you that if I were interested in anyone, it certainly wouldn't be the bombshell that eats a candy bar for lunch that is trying to gain a doctor of education degree from a CrackerJack box."

The older blonde grinned. "Ooo. Found a sore spot." She glanced at Emma then back at Regina. "Aren't all Ed S degrees more or less an exercise in regurgitation? How many doctors have you met in the field of education that did little more than change the vocabulary and the title and call it a new program?"

"Every single one of them. And, they are usually entitled self-ingratiating blowhards who like to be superior because they earned a degree that requires little actual intelligence." The brunette huffed.

Mal's eyes twinkled. "You are so cute when you're smitten."

“I am not smitten,” Regina snarled.

"I know the cure for what ails you. Friday, we could drive to Portland, have some drinks, find a pair of lovelies for the evening." Regal as ever, Mal watched Regina's inner debate raging.

"I shouldn't."

"You should. If you don't get laid soon, your virginity is likely to grow back."

"Rude!" The brunette smacked her friend on the arm. "I will have you know it hasn't been that long."

"Sure, it hasn't." Green eyes flashed in mirth. "I am referring to an actual human, not a waterproof toy with a rechargeable battery."

"Fine. But, not this weekend. Can we try for Labor Day weekend?" Regina stood, grabbing the remains of her salad. "And, do both of us a favor either invite Kat or Ursula, not both. Last time, the bartender nearly had to call the police. We can't go through that again."

"Agreed." Mal looked far too pleased for Regina's comfort, but it would have to do for now. One last glimpse of the blonde with sunlight making her hair glow, Regina groaned inwardly. Maybe, Mal was right. It had been too long.


	2. September

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flirtatious war is brewing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot promise how often I will update, but as of right now the muses are behaving. I am hoping to post another next weekend. No promises, but I am hoping. Yes, I am a teacher I apologize if I go into too much detail in some of the ridiculousness we have to tolerate at times.
> 
> PS. If you think of a better title, by all means, suggest it.

**_September_ **

The loud thumping noise grew louder the closer she got to her destination. As she passed each empty classroom, she couldn't help but wonder what caused the pounding that reverberated down the hallway from the AP World History classroom. A light showed through the frosted glass of the door before her. Regina rechecked the room number to make sure she hadn't misjudged the location. But, after reading the room number, she realized that she would soon know what caused the dreadful racket.

She blew out a steadying breath before raising her fist to knock at the blonde's classroom door. Other than a brief glimpse of golden curls disappearing down the hallway or maybe a quick nod as they passed each other in the teachers' lounge, the two women had successfully avoided speaking to each other for weeks. As the other woman's mentor, she knew the responsibility to fix the situation lay at her feet.

She knocked three times and waited.

No response.

She knocked again before turning the knob.

"Miss Swan?" Her brows wrinkled in confusion at the seemingly empty space.

"Yes?" The disembodied voice came from the far side of the room.

Her heels click loudly on the cheap tile floor. Blessedly, the noise had stopped, but Emma had not stuck her head out from wherever she worked. Regina's eyes slowly trace over the artwork affixed to the walls, the room's arrangement, and yet she didn't see the woman at all.

"Over here," A lone hand shot above one of the low lying tables lining the room's back.

The startled brunette yelped, not expecting the woman to be behind her near the floor. The blonde winked at her from where she held a hammer in one hand and leaned on a stack of thick textbooks. 

"You do know you can call me Emma, right? It is after school hours." 

"I suppose I could, but why not be professional?" Regina added unnecessarily. The tips of Regina's ears turned red. The brunette had never been more grateful that her hair kept them covered. Emma stood up and dusted off her pants. 

"Right. Professional. Is that what you call it when you and Dr. Friedman gossip about me and all the other lesser mortals over lunch?" Emma didn't lose a beat. She dropped her hammer to the side and then set one heavy book after another onto the shelf. At the same time, Regina's eyes inexplicably danced across the delicate muscles working beneath the pale skin.

"We weren't...I mean...I don't gossip."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sure, you don't." Finishing her task, Emma stood to her full height, stretched her arms high above her head and stretched. She sighed when her back popped. "Ah, much better." 

Noticing burnt coffee orbs staring at her confusedly. "Sorry. My bottom shelf broke yesterday. I will not go another day with these on the floor."

"Hmmm" is all Regina could think to say. "How very handy of you." Once again, her chocolate orbs rested a few seconds too long on a pale, well-formed bicep; Regina was slowly becoming a big fan of all the sleeveless blouses in the blonde's wardrobe. She swallowed down the stray thoughts that shouldn't be making themselves known.

'Snap out of it, Regina, you are her mentor, you can't do this.' Another uncomfortable truth bubbled to the surface.

Emma raised an eyebrow at Dr. Mills' as she froze mid-motion.

Observing her odd behavior, the blonde had no idea what to make of it, so she chose to drop the subject entirely. "I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that it is time for us to begin our monthly mentoring sessions."

"Perceptive as always." The brunette smiled genuinely surprised that Miss Swan would willingly play the game by the district's rules--she knew how insulting it felt. Being a seasoned teacher, but being treated as if you didn't know the first thing about teaching would be insulting, if not humiliating. 

The new teacher's mouth twitched, trying to decide what to say, but her instincts closed her mouth tight. The woman in front of her appeared conflicted and confused; Emma no longer felt compelled to cure every person she met. Experience saw to that. 

"Yes. Today, I am supposed to give you insight into what a functional classroom should be." Her eyes roved around the room again. The blonde's room appeared tidy and organized. Her board contained the daily academic standard and learning target as required. "I can see how very unnecessary this conversation is, but as it's required, I thought we might have our meeting for the month and maybe discuss a few things if you don't mind."

Emma checked her watch. "I'd be glad to, but I need to be out of here by five. I have a 5:30 meeting with my dissertation advisory committee."

"Oh. I thought you attended FSU?"

"Online."

"Right." Regina's eyebrows raised for a moment before she covered with her usual emotionless mask. 

"I know you are ABD. I should warn you that the district has forms for you to get parental approval if you choose to use your students for your case study."

Green eyes blankly stared at her for a moment. Pale lips opened and closed a few times before she said, "Case study?"

"For your dissertation. I know you will have to provide data and research for it. I didn't want you to step on any toes because you failed to fill out the proper form. Ms. Bleu can be a stickler for such things."

"I see." The blonde shook her head negatively. "I won't be needing any of that."

"Oh?"

Emma waved her hand as she put a few last things away on her desk. "I spent four summers abroad doing it. In fact, my dissertation is written, and mostly edited. If only my professors will quit demanding rewrites." Emma heaved a long breath out and then continued. "Tonight, we are discussing how to fix an issue that is complicating everything. Once that is resolved, we can schedule my defense; I am so ready to be done with this thing."

Regina heard the words, but she couldn't understand what the woman could possibly mean. 'One doesn't get to 'fix issues' with their committee. The committee dictates how everything dealing with a dissertation will roll out,' she thought to herself, thinking Miss Swan was either naive, foolish, or both.

"Out of curiosity, what pedagogical practices did you choose to write about for your dissertation?" 

Pearly teeth showed Emma's smile grew large. "I didn't. I am not earning an Ed.D. I am earning a Ph.D. I chose to do a historiographical study of the female warrior in European and Asian cultures in the ancient period looking at original accounts versus interpretations of their contribution across the centuries."

Dr. Mills' mouth refused to cooperate for a few seconds. "Oh."

Emma's lips ticked up in a smirk she couldn't contain. "Sorry. My degree isn't coming from a CrackerJack box."

"Ah, and there is that beloved professionalism again, Miss Swan." The brunette turned up her nose at the blonde's comment feeling defensive. Regina cleared her throat and changed to her school teacher voice she generally reserved for students and morons. "I think this should only take a few minutes. I had mainly planned to cover what the administration expects to see displayed in your classroom. And then, I hoped to clear the air." The brunette placed the notebook she had carried in on one of the classroom tables, then she took the closest chair. "Why don't we get started?"

*****

Forty-five minutes later, Regina slammed the door on her prized Mercedes. "God, that was so embarrassing," she muttered at herself. Cranking the car, she waited until the Bluetooth connected before speed-dialing Mal. She backed out of her parking spot and tore out of the parking lot, waiting for her friend to answer.

"Hello Regina, how did your visit with the sexy swan go?"

"Would you quit calling her that?" she snapped back.

"Ooo. Irritated and angry. Did you fight the whole time or, is she not respecting your authority? Do you want to spank her? Should I go see her and use my 'evil queen of darkness' attitude on her, or will you tell me what's wrong?"

"God, why are we friends again?" Regina sighed. "No, she didn't do anything wrong." She swallowed harshly, thinking back to every unkind or unflattering thing they had ever said back and forth at lunch. Had Emma heard all of it? "Mal, she is working on a Ph. D in history that easily rivals mine."

She huffed again as she let Mal absorb her words. "She's writing about the presentation of the female warrior in ancient European and Asian cultures. The woman is writing a feminist historical diagnostic of the treatment of an archetype of the strong female across cultures and time."

"Oh. My. God. She's so perfect for you. Do you think she knew how wet your panties were getting just from hearing her research topic?" 

Regina slapped the steering wheel as she drove. "Mal!"

Regina imagined her friend laughing at her while sitting on her beautiful white couch. She knew Mallory's habits too well. The nearing empty bottle of wine would be perched on the table in front of her at this hour.

Rich, cackling laughter filled the car.

"MAL!" She shouted over the noise, pulling her car into her designated parking space in front of her condo.

"Don't Mal me. You know I'm right. She's exactly your type in ways she who shall not be named never was. So, why do you sound so desperately angry?"

"Firstly, she is my mentee. She's off-limits. Secondly, she heard. She has heard every word of it. Third, we know nothing about this woman. She could be a serial killer for all we know." The brunette crumpled onto her steering wheel, accidentally bumping the horn once.

"Ridiculous. That twat of yours is going to dry up and blow away if you don't get it serviced. Every word you said is bullshit. All of it. Except, what do you mean she heard? She heard what?" 

"When we chat at lunch, Emma has heard every word of it."

An exasperated sigh came through loud and clear. "Seriously, Regina. Get a grip. It cannot be that bad."

"Ha. When we began to fill out the required forms for the mentor/mentee, she asked why I typed her name instead of soon-to-be-doctor honey-kissed sweetness."

The dull thud of a glass hitting carpet stunned Regina into movement. 

After a pause, "At least, she didn't hear the other night at the Cat's Meow when you called her the finest piece of pussy you might never tap."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Give me a second while I switch you to the handset." She turned off the car and opened the door. The remains of the blistering heat helped ground her to the present.

"Well, shit. That's not good."

"No. No, it's not. At least, she sounded amused by it." Regina held back the tears as she looked at the late afternoon sun stretch across the horizon. "I hope she's as forgiving as she seemed to be today."

"Maybe. Can you start at the beginning? I want to know everything."

"You are incorrigible."

"And, you love me for it." 

Regina couldn't help but grin at her best friend's words. She did. She really did.

_ ***** _

**_A Few Days Later_ **

Regina leaned against the counter while she reheated her lunch in the microwave. She watched in horrified awe as her secret blonde obsession pushed through the lounge door with her shoulder. Carrying her laptop in one hand and a large coffee dripping from her once pristine white shirt, Emma raced past everyone at the door.

"Shit." Many tendrils of blonde hair spewed from her messy bun as she fumbled her laptop on the nearest table and made a beeline for the women's restroom next to where Regina stood.

"When did you get here?" She asked, confused by Mal's sudden appearance at her side.

"I didn't magically poof in here. I walked through that door at least a full minute before she did. Which you would know if you had been listening to a damn thing I said to you, but no the door opens, and blonde curls work their magic--your brain tuned me out of existence."

Worried coffee eyes pulled away from her friend and back on the ladies' room door. 

"She looked upset. Did she look upset to you? I mean more upset than a coffee spill."

"How is it that you can make most adults and teens squeal and run away in fear, but when Emma Swan shows up, your brain quits?" Mal shoved Regina in the shoulder. "Go and offer the poor woman some help?"

"Do you think I should?"

Mal's annoyed stare spurred her into action. "Right. Can you deal with my lunch? I'll be right back." Regina disappeared

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Emma looked up when the restroom door swung open. "Oh, it's you." She sighed dramatically, dobbing at the spreading stain on her blouse. 

Regina grabbed a handful of paper towels, and awkwardly began assisting. Blue-green eyes caught hers, confusion glowed in her direction, causing the brunette to cease her efforts.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" 

The honest question lingered in the air uncomfortably between the two women.

"Here. Can you run to my classroom and grab my spare shirt out of the closet?"

Regina blinked dumbly at her. "You keep a spare shirt in your closet." 

Emma stopped and put her hands on her hips glaring in her direction. "Right. Spare shirt. Got it." The brunette sprinted from the room, dashed through the lounge and down the hall. She opened the classroom door and went straight through to Emma's closet. The other woman's personal effects hung neatly on the right—much to her surprise. Three blouses hung in a row. Thinking about the blonde's outfit, she chose the black sleeveless sweater with the asymmetrical zipper. 'God, she'll look great in this.' She snatched it from the hanger and tore off down the hallway like someone was timing her errand.

Pushing past the others in the lounge, she caught Mal's amused expression and entered the ladies' room again. "I" All thought erased from her head as she caught sight of Emma Swan in only a bra from the waist up dabbing coffee off her pale abdominal muscles. A frustrated sigh leaked out of thin lips as Emma pulled her hair loose from the bun and shook her head. Curls cascaded down the length of her back enticingly. Entranced by her every move--Regina gulped, "I got it." She held out the black sweater. 

"Tired of ogling me already?" the snide remark cut unexpectedly deep.

"If you don't need anything else, I will go get my lunch." Hurt sounded in the sultry voice that had dimmed to a whisper. She washed her hands at the sink, refusing to let the woman make her feel small enough to turn tail and run. "For the record, I was only trying to help."

Left to her own devices, Emma lay her forehead against the mirrored wall with her eyes shut, absorbing the other woman's words. "Shit. Me and my mouth."

  
  


**_The Next Morning_ **

Regina typed away at her laptop in the lounge listening to Mal drone on about her date. 

"Seriously, I had no idea that Stephan was so dashing. He flew me to New York for dinner."

She stopped typing and glared. "That isn't dashing. He's ridiculously rich. He's just showing off for you."

"Well, it's working."

A large coffee in a new reusable Starbucks cup appeared next to Regina's hand. She glanced at the offering and then up at the nervous younger blonde standing beside their table. 

"Swan, are you trying to beg forgiveness already?" Regina congratulated herself at managing a haughty tone she didn't quite feel.

Pink lips twisted in a smirk. "Oh, your highness. No. This isn't begging." She leaned down and stage whispered near Regina's ear, "If and when I ever beg for you, there will be a lot less clothing involved." She sauntered off, swaying her hips exaggeratedly, knowing caramel eyes watched every step.

"Oh, God, she's awesome," Mal died laughing.

  
  



	3. October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina makes a few mistakes and their tentative friendship evaporates. Is it the beginning of a cold war or a mass nuclear detonation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one isn't as fun. I had to set up to many pieces of the backstory...and don't worry. Ingrid will NEVER appear. This story is about their long feud, not Emma's past coming back to haunt her. Until next time...

Slipping on her sports bra and running shorts, she breathed in the early morning, tasting Fall in the air. She stretched and hummed in the half-light, put her AirPods in her ears, and took off down the street. She hit her stride as the sun peeked over the trees. Sweat glistened on her arms, back, and upper chest by the time she took on the hill leading to the Mifflin Street condominiums and beyond. 

She slowed to a walk at the crest, trying to shut down the stitch growing in her side. 'Fuck, why did I take the summer off from running!' She mentally kicked herself for choosing the gym over the great outdoors.

The sun peeked over the trees producing the first light of the morning. Emma grinned as the world woke. A little punter of a dog barked to her left; it drew her attention in that direction. The second door expelled a petite dark-haired woman wrapped in a silk robe. In an oddly self-conscious move, the poor woman kept her head down; she avoided glancing around while waiting for the dog to do its business. Suddenly, a second occupant catapulted through the open door with the grace of a linebacker. Emma's fast walk slowed further to watch the walk of shame trainwreck coming through the door.

"Gina, thanks for a fun night," the voice slurred with last night's spirits still present. The leggy auburn-haired woman jingled her keys on the way to her car. "Call me sometime. You're a great lay," she shouted in the absolute quiet of the street.

The blonde couldn't prevent her laughter because the poor woman with the dog looked ready to melt into the grass. The unsolicited guffaw from the sidewalk brought the brunette's focus to the lagging runner.

Then, sea-green eyes landed on familiar coffee; Emma's feet chose that moment to rebel. She landed in a crumpled heap. "Fuck my life," Emma grumbled. Rather than wait to find out if Regina would attempt another rescue, the blonde pushed to her feet and bolted. She ran full tilt toward the next turn. Five minutes later, she headed for the shower attempting to decipher why the new knowledge hurt more than it should.

*****

"Miss Swan," Regina stepped into the classroom while a few students still gathered around discussing the papers in front of them. "May I have a word, please?"

The blonde continued to lean over the table, whispering with the student she had been helping.

"Miss Swan?"

"Give me a minute, Regina."

If the blonde had used a little foresight by glancing at the brunette, she would've noticed the tremble surge through the woman's body as her first name was flung carelessly into the midst of the teenagers."

"It's Dr. Mills. Not Regina."

Sensing the hostility, Emma stood to her full height and turned toward the woman. Dark eyes blazed in her direction. "What is it, Mills? As you can see, you've interrupted my AP after school tutorial."

Regina's eyes skated across the group in the room. She counted eighteen heads. The woman had managed to garner a full ten more AP students than she ever had attended her after school sessions.

"I was wondering if we could do our monthly meeting now." Watching the strong shoulders slump a little, Dr. Mills wondered if today might not be the right time. 

"Dr. Mills, I believe we scheduled our meeting for next week."

Penetrating green eyes watched the nervous swallow. "Yes, but as you know, some sensitive issues have arisen."

"That has nothing to do with me, my classroom, or anything else pertaining to me. I don't see what there is to discuss. If anything, it may have clarified my position or lack thereof. Nothing more. Nothing less."

A frisson of something Emma couldn't decipher crossed through the other woman's face.

"Please, Miss Swan. I have a conflict for next week."

Emma turned away and spoke to the students. "I guess this is as good a time as any." Several students glanced between the two detecting the less than thrilled tone, but none braved questioning the impromptu dismissal. She turned to the students. "Okay, guys, we can finish workshopping your DBQs another day. If you intend to sit the AP exam this year, you have a long way to go for earning a 5."

Flipping a leather-bound notebook open, Emma began writing a bulleted list leaving Regina to stare in confusion.

A lanky brown-haired boy poked the blonde in the side. "Thanks, Swan. I'll bring that application to you in the morning." 

"I must say, Mr. Nolan seems taken with you."

"Henry better be. I'm writing him a recommendation for my alma maters for him." 

Ever the English teacher, Mills bit her lip, wanting to correct the unnecessary pluralization. "Oh, I thought he was applying to Vanderbilt and Tulane."

Emma finally quit writing and faced her companion. "Okay, _Dr. Mills_ , what is so urgent that it must be today?"

Regina gasped at the dark circles under the other teacher's eyes. But hearing the defensive words, she chose not to pry about her personal life.

"Which school did you attend for your bachelor's?"

Rolling her eyes at the other woman's stalling tactics, "Right, I did my first three years at Tulane for my undergrad, then I went to Vandy where I also earned my masters." The blonde looked at the surprised expression on her mentor's face. "I'm assuming Gold never shared my c.v. with you then."

"No, he hasn't." Regina brushed.

The open honesty on the younger woman's face felt like a hot knife in Regina's heart. 'This woman is off-limits.'

Taking a seat at their usual table, Regina cleared her throat then made sure her politician's mask shone brightly. "As much as spending time with someone of your ilk may sound wonderful to others, I'll have you know that I take my responsibilities seriously. I won't damage our mentor/mentee relationship that way. Nor will I pretend to string you along. Dear, your flirtations to this point have been highly inappropriate. They must stop."

Emma's lips pursed as she fought with what to say. "I haven't said much to you in any regard for weeks."

"Eight days." Regina's eyes softened and grew watery. "You have not said more than a word or two to me since that unfortunate morning."

Emma nodded. "It is and was none of my business. I have nothing more to say on that matter. But, you may have to explain yourself to Mal. She seems more invested in us getting together than either of us."

"I don't doubt that dear. My girlfriends and I have kept each other company since our parents put us in boarding school together."

"Boarding school?"

"Don't let me working in a public high school fool you. My blood is as blue as it gets." The haughty tone served as a reminder of why so many of the other teachers fled when Dr. Mills walked the halls.

"Oh," is all Emma offered; the faraway look in her eye hinted that she took the words to heart. Regina continued with their monthly mentoring meeting on automatic. Neither woman left early, but if someone had questioned either later and asked what they discussed, they would not receive an answer.

*****

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Archie Hopper, the Social Science department chair, shifted nervously on his feet while holding his soup bowl.

The blonde looked up from her laptop, her energy bar dangling from her teeth, surveyed the room, and then nodded. "Sure, Arch."

"Thanks. It was either you or the evil queens, and I can't handle those two alone, much less together." He cocked his head toward where Mal and Regina ate together.

Emma's eyes betrayed her by flitting over to the women. Pale gray eyes met hers. Mal had offered little but an apologetic pat on the shoulder that needed no explanation. Now, days later, the two women had ceased speaking during their lunch. 

The blonde sighed. She missed the few days of Regina's practiced avoidance. Sometime after their meeting, _Dr. Mills_ determined the attack route could serve her well. Every time their paths crossed, a snide comment fell from her lips. The latest being consistent disbelief in her education. _"No one educated at Vandy would allow their AP students to make PSA or mockumentaries as class projects."_

_To which she often responded in kind. "Regina, I thought blue blood meant uptight to the point you had a stick up your ass, not that everything had to be classically antiquated to be valid."_

Shaking the last few days from her thoughts, she pulled her laptop off the table to make him room. She plopped it on her lap and shifted the screen so she could still read the text.

"What are you working on?" Hopper asked with mild interest.

"I'm reworking the final edit of my dissertation, again."

He grinned. "You must be almost finished."

"I was, but then life happened. My chair has pancreatic cancer, stage 4. So, he chose a colleague with similar credentials to step into his shoes."

"Splendid. That must be such a relief. I can imagine changing committee members at this stage is uncomfortable." Archie spoke animatedly, a little soup splashing onto his shirt and tie.

His exuberance diminished when he noticed the slump to her shoulders.

She sighed. "I can see why you think that. There were a few weeks where it felt right."

Archie raised his eyebrows questioningly, "I can't help but notice the use of past tense."

"Then, Dr. Carter, the replacement, was in a car accident. He died after a two-week coma." She closed her computer and dropped it onto the table. "What pisses me off is that I had it finished and signed off on so that I could defend, and then he died."

He winced. "I can only guess that this created a problem."

She took a sip of her coffee and swallowed. "Essentially, I can wait until Dr. Frederickson is done with chemo and radiation and hope he is strong enough to defend, or I can get someone else to sit in his place. But, if I use a replacement, I have to make any changes they request, which could make this go another year or two."

"Oh, God. That's awful. What are you going to do?"

"I have a few ideas, but nothing certain. I have sent Frederickson a proposal that if he accepts my suggestion, we will have to get the dean's permission, but I don't foresee that being a problem. But, first things first, he has to say yes."

"Should I ask?" 

"No, I wouldn't want to jinx it." Emma noticed her coffee had dripped on her blouse. She licked the tip of her finger to try to rub the stain out of the silky material.

"I never cease to be amazed by your childish and inappropriate behaviors," Regina snipped on her way toward the door.

"At least I don't behave like I babysat Methuselah." Emma quipped back. She enjoyed watching the woman go rigid in quiet fury.

After the door shut behind her, the whole room blew out a breath. "Damn, Swan, are you trying to die early?" one of the nameless coaches shouted from across the room.

"She's harmless. All bark. No bite."

"Speak for yourself, this never ends well," Archie warned. He grabbed the remains of his lunch and scurried from the room with the sudden realization that his lunch companion's choice may have angered the darker woman.

*****

The bell rang, and kids clamored down the hallway. Emma leaned against the wall next to her door, watching the chaos and holding on to a yellow envelope.

Henry sprinted into view. "Hey, Hen. I've got your apps."

"Awesome, Swan." He high fived her and raced toward the gym. Emma smiled fondly after the boy. He, among many others, was why she chose to teach in the first place.

"You know you should keep your distance from students; otherwise, you lose your authority over them."

"Lighten up, Mills. He isn't a problem. And how I run my class isn't for you to decide."

"I'm your mentor."

"For now."

Furious, Regina marched toward the front office.

*****

"Regina, you shouldn't be sticking your nose into affairs that are not yours." Gold growled from his seat. 

"Call Miss Swan down now," she demanded, giving her step-father next to no room for argument.

Regina paced the room while Principal Gold continued to watch his daughter. "If I'd known how much you would loathe the woman, I would have chosen someone else to mentor her. I thought that the two of you having similar interests might help the two of you find common ground."

"That isn't why you assigned her to me, and you know it." She snarked at him.

_Mr. Gold, Miss Swan is here._ Belle's disembodied voice interrupted their conversation.

"Send her in, please.

A few seconds later, Emma came through the door abruptly. "Sir, I'm in the middle of a lecture on Hammurabi's Code's importance and the after-effects on civilization. Can't whatever this is wait until after school?"

Regina carefully placed two printed emails on his desk. "If you notice, the Registrar at Tulane has never heard of Emma Swan. She never attended."

Emma's hand shook as she picked up the email and turned it around to read Regina's outgoing correspondence and the response. Seething, her once emerald eyes darkened. She leveled her gaze on Regina but spoke to Gold. "You have my references so you can check every word I say, or you can Google the name, Ingrid Fischer. Before I tell you my story, let me make this clear--you will have two choices when I am done. You can fire me or find me another mentor." She pointed an accusing finger at the brunette. "I refuse to spend another second alone with that woman."

"Oh--" Dr. Mills began.

"No. Let her speak. You've had your moment." Instantly, his step-daughter knew that he had some inkling of the story the blonde would tell.

Turned to face her nemesis rather than her boss, the blonde took a pen from her pocket and carefully spelled out Ingrid's name for the woman. "I thought the correct spelling might make your research a little easier. My story is one I only share with friends. Believe it or not, there was a time not too long ago that I thought that I would be sharing this with you over dinner and a bottle of wine at some point. I don't tell this to anyone. EVER. If I hear even a whisper of this truth out in the halls, I will go to HR. Am I clear?" Her livid words came out in an icy quiet voice.

"I was born sometime in October, but the date is unknown. My parents left me in a box in the middle of the french quarter. I was found on a street corner between Bourbon Street and Jackson Square. Between birth and fourteen, I was in thirty-three homes ranging from okay to awful. But along the way, two other kids and I got attached to each other August, and Elsa became my family. Then, right before my fifteenth birthday, a woman chose to foster all three of us together. For a few weeks, everything was great. She started talking about adopting us. All of us. Then slowly, things began to change. Elsa, who had diabetes from the time we were six, started getting sick more often. Her symptoms were odd. Her blood sugar wouldn't regulate. By the time I was sixteen, she was dead. Then Augie and I started getting sick. I had the worst sore throat I've ever had. Then, I had these stomach cramps. I thought I had a stomach virus. I'll leave the details out, but I couldn't keep food in, and neither could he. If our social worker hadn't been overly conscientious, we would both be dead. Ingrid had poisoned us slowly with rat poison. She thought it would keep us home. She kept harping on taking care of us." Emma's eyes glazed, and as she cast her mind further and further into her past. 

"After we were released from the hospital, both of us returned to school and received full rides to Tulane. A benefactor stepped up because they heard about our grades and what we had gone through. Both of us graduated high school at seventeen and entered Tulane in January, a semester ahead of most kids. Three years later, Ingrid caught me crossing the campus at night by myself. She attacked me with a knife. She'd escaped a mental facility. She'd been after either of us since the newspapers reported both of us graduating early and receiving the scholarships. She knew where to find us. It was just a matter of timing."

Emma paused. Her eyes focussed on the woman in front of her, who had gone pale and quiet. "I changed my name and transferred schools at the same time. The name Emily Royal Dauphine would stand out anywhere I moved. August did the same. Whoever our benefactor was, they had some serious pull. My ride to Vanderbilt was arranged without me asking. I don't know where Augie landed. I'm afraid to look him up because I might lead her to either one of us."

Angry tears rolled down pallid cheeks. "The woman who wanted to adopt all 3 of us destroyed the only family I've ever had. Feel free to check my story. But don't repeat it to anyone."

Gold clasped his hands then turned to Regina. "Dr. Mills, you are no longer her mentor. This will be your last year overseeing the provisional hires. If Miss Swan doesn't want to speak to you, she doesn't have to do it. If she raises one single complaint about your behavior, I will be forced to take action through HR. It would most likely come in the form of some sensitivity training, but I cannot guarantee that you would be offered another contract. Do I make myself clear?"

"Dad."

"Professionalism, Regina."

She bowed her head. "Yes, Mr. Gold." 

"You are dismissed. Emma, please stay." 

He waited until the dark-haired woman closed the door before turning back to the broken woman on the other side of the desk. "Somehow, I don't feel like the words I'm sorry will suffice. But, that does not change the fact that I am. And, I am sure she is as well. I don't know why she stopped being your biggest fan. She sang your praises week after week over Sunday brunch, then all at once. It stopped."

Emma dropped her head onto the back of the chair and fought with her emotions. "She's embarrassed. I take it that Regina's not used to being the one in the wrong."

She heard him open a drawer to his desk and the clink of two glasses. A golden brown liquid filled each tumbler three fingers deep. He passed one across the desk to his drinking companion.

"No. No, she's not. She's also unfamiliar with being infatuated with someone. I think it scared her."

"It scares me too." Emma let the liquid burn her throat as she contemplated her next words. "Don't be offended when I fight fire with fire. We both know she's going to try her best to run me out of here because I saw her make a mistake."

A sad smirk grew on his face. "Would you think less of me if I told you I look forward to it?"

*****

**_A Few Weeks Later_ **

"Bartender. Line them up. I need five shots and a beer," Emma's grumpy voice could be heard over the local bar's Thursday evening din.

"I wonder what bug flew up her ass?" Mal muttered, turning an accusing eye on Regina.

The brunette threw up both of her hands. "Don't' look at me. I have nothing to do with this one." Regina watched in horror; the blonde drank shot after shot without waiting.

"Don't you think she looks like she needs the attention of her mentor to help her through whatever it is?" Mal grinned at Regina, whose mouth twisted in an unhappy pout.

"No, not particularly." Dramatically sitting back in her chair, she crossed her arms and scanned the room. "Where's the rest of us. Christie's usually half-gone by now."

"Court, maybe?" Mal offered before nodding at the door. "There's Urs now."

"Another dammit!" Emma slammed a glass on the bar and shouted.

"Do you think she remembers we have work tomorrow?" Regina asked to no one in particular.

"Who is the hottie anyway?" Ursula slid into her usual seat and toyed with her drink in one hand, trying to decipher the woman's identity at the bar.

The blonde peeled her red leather jacket off, leaving her arms bare. The ripple of muscle visible even at their distance. A knowing smirk appeared on the black woman's lips as realization struck. "Wait a minute. She's the blonde Reggie's been swooning over, isn't."

"I don't swoon." Glaring at her friends.

"Oh, I would have to disagree, my friend." Christie de Ville appeared carrying her gloves in one hand. "You swoon. You are smitten. You have a bad case of needing her in the worst way. Whatever phrasing you need to hear, it's all true." She huffed and then began to twist her wedding ring around her finger. "You want that woman. She's all you've talked about for weeks. Take her. Fuck her, but I do hope you come to your senses before its too late. Divorces are nasty and expensive."

"Speaking of, how are you?" Regina jumped at the opportunity for a discussion topic.

Pulling the massive rock from her finger, she dropped the ring unceremoniously on the tabletop. "He's putting up a fight. I have to sell the house, the cars, and my precious jewelry. It isn't fair to expect me to lose all that."

Mal twisted in her chair and openly gaped at her friend. "Do you not remember? He didn't hear about you cheating from a friend or a PI. He walked into your bedroom, finding your pool boy balls deep and his girlfriend riding your face. I'm sure fair has little to do with it."

"You sound so judgy, dearie. It isn't like you wouldn't play that way." Christie sniffed lightly to emphasize her thoughts.

The collective shiver of revulsion traveling through the rest of the group escaped Christie's attention. "Generally, the rest of us prefer partners. People we trust, not someone who would post the event on Pornhub."

"It only happened once or was it twice?" de Ville lost herself in thought, trying to remember exactly how many bits of evidence her father's man had to hide.

Regina and Ursula sat frozen and red-faced, looking at their childhood friend, shocked into silence. Ursula tossed back her shot quickly. "I'm not sure whether to be offended on his behalf or brag on you for scoring that."

Regina elbowed the darker woman beside her. "I think you forget about the morality clause she demanded he put in the prenup. It's your fault this is happening. You thought you would catch him with his legal secretary at some point and get a big payoff."

Christie blinked at her before turning up her lips. "Not all of us have a mother leaves us a trust fund."

"Ha. Both your parents give you far more than I inherited, and they are still living. Quit trying to be the victim here." Regina shrugged. "Beside the point, I wouldn't marry anyone I don't love."

"At the rate, you are going, you will never get there." The brunette winced at the observation. It hit too close to home. "My mother had three different husbands in my lifetime. I don't want to follow in her footsteps. I'm a one and done kind of woman, so I have to be discriminating."

Mal poked at her lightly. "Little miss perfect is leaning on the bar, and by the looks of it, she will be needing help walking out of here."

Regina looked over at where Emma leaned heavily on the bar, talking to no one. The angry set of her jaw and the fierce scowl on her face reminded the woman of Emma's reaction in the bathroom.

"Go help her, Reg," Mal prodded again.

Brunette hair shook fervently. "No, she will rip my head off and feed it to me."

"You deserve it. Quit being chicken," the older blonde rolled her eyes. "Go, grab that woman, kiss her senseless. Beg forgiveness. Go get laid. I am telling you this is the ultimate opportunity."

Regina chewed her bottom lip. "I can't. I'm her mentor. She's off-limits."

"Ugh, you are so useless sometimes. We both know she isn't green or that young. Gold wouldn't care if you claimed this one. He'd be offended at those bright-eyed little girls that the coaching staff is stalking, but she's a woman. He knows it. She knows it. You know it. Now, take off your big girl panties and get your woman." Mal punctuated her thought by slamming her empty glass down. "Fuck, I need another one."

Standing on slightly wobbly legs, Mal walked over to the bar and took up a position closer to Emma than necessary.

"Hey, Mal," a slow drawl came from the younger blonde.

"Hey, Emma," the retort brought a quick smile to pink lips.

"She can't stand me, can she?" Emma's kicked puppy pout made the older woman grin.

"No, she doesn't hate you. She's too afraid of expectations and responsibilities. You have to give her time and space to work through it."

Emma blew a raspberry. "Time. It's a funny thing. Sometimes you think you have more than you have." She waved at the bartender again. "Una mas."

"No. You've had too much. I'm cutting you off for the night." 

Mal held up her empty glass, which the bartender took to refill. 

Emma leaned her direction. "He seems to like you. Do you wanna buy me a drink? I can pay you back."

"Miss Swan, as head of the foreign language department, I feel I should ask you how you plan to teach tomorrow if you are in this state now?"

"Don't. Personal day. I never work on my birthday."

Emma's smile turned wicked. She snatched the glass from slender fingers dining the harsh liquid in one gulp. "Thanks."

"That wasn't the kind of present I had in mind, "

Pale pink lips quicker in a corkscrew fashion. "Unless you can arrange her majesty for a tar and feathering, there isn't much else I want." Swaying gently on her feet, Emma started listing to the side. "Kay. My bad."

Her eyes rolled back as she hit the floor.


	4. November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina is slowly realizing that she might not be in control of this situation. She's not sure if she has a problem with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ladies in my head are still playing nice so you have another chapter. If they continue to be this nice I might have another ready this weekend. No promises. But, maybe. BTW, did you notice I decided to turn this into a series? This is year one: 2017-2018. I can see this running into Covid years...we will see how far I can take it. And, Mal is my hero.

November rolled in, bringing cooler weather, football playoffs, and an elusive Emma Swan. Much to Regina's dismay, Gold had honored the blonde's demand for a new mentor, a decision Regina still struggled to accept. Between the holiday season demands, students begging for recommendation letters for early admissions, and weekends giving the ACT or SAT, the brunette had failed to lay eyes on her favorite blonde in weeks. 

"Can you believe it? She's resorted to responding to my emails by sending a student carrying whatever I asked for. Why can't she bring what I asked?" the brunette huffed, her lips formed a petulant pout.

The older blonde rolled her eyes at her old friend. "I think we both know that Miss Swan is tired of your games. You need to pick. Is she good enough for you to date or not?"

Dr. Mills inhaled and exhaled exaggeratedly. "I don't want to date her per se."

"Uh, huh. That's probably why she is bowing out from this charade. You're thinking one-night-stand. She's wanting long term or nothing."

"Do you honestly think that is the problem?" Regina asked. The brunette went quiet, pondering her friend's words. "Is Emma worth the chase? Has she given up on me already?'

Watching the wheels spinning in the brunette's mind, Mal bit into her baby carrot, crunching it as loudly as possible. She refused to smirk, knowing full well that Regina hated the noise it created. 

"Must you do that?" Regina snapped.

"Testy much? I'm only eating, Reggie. It's what mere mortals do." The older blonde chewed her lower lip, trying to decide how to broach the subject as the English department chair continued to spear her salad violently.

Giving up on finding a better way, Mal tossed out her observation. "I take it that your attempt at making peace didn't go well?"

In the blink of an eye, the pain that suffused Regina's features arrived and left. "I don't know what you are talking about when you say such things. I don't need to make peace. I did nothing wrong."

Archie, two tables over, snorted. Furious dark chocolate and amused silvery gray orbs landed on the disheveled man. "Do you have something to add, Mr. Hopper?" Regina's icy tone forced half the room to sit straighter for fear of an attack.

A few stifled snickers scattered around the room. Mal's steely gray eyes landed on a few culprits quieting the noise.

"N-n-no, Dr. Mills. I sneezed." He rubbed pointlessly at his nose as if anyone could believe the lie.

Regina surveyed the faculty lounge. Other than a distinct lack of a certain blonde, the regular dozen teachers sat in their chosen spots eating. Most days, the room is filled with mindless chatter. Today, the others whispered back and forth but said little. The ladies assumed that the group either wanted to eavesdrop or something else was afoot. Dr. Mills felt their accusing stares even though they remained thinly veiled. No one corrected her. An evil glint appeared in her smile when she realized all the coaches viewed her warily from close to the door.

"Reggie, dear. Really? Would you please quit scaring the half-wits? You never know, they may piddle on the floor. I don't want to have to walk through it to get back to my classroom." Mal's lip turned up, smiling at her joke. 

Someone sucked in a breath in an offended gesture before she continued, "Now, what did you do to celebrate her birthday? You said you wanted to send her something special."

The brunette sighed before rubbing a hand across her forehead. "I can't believe you drove her home that night," jealousy and sadness stymied much of what she had to say. Dark curls fanned with the movements of her head when she rejected the downward spiral of her thoughts, "I know what I said, but then nothing came to mind. I decided not to give her anything."

"You really do suck at this whole wooing thing, Regina. Jeezus. Do you want her ever to think where have you been my whole life?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "At least you didn't bring up the state of my sex life again."

Mal grimaced. "Unfortunately, all too many of us know that you slept with the crazy redhead from Portland Steakhouse."

"Shhh," the brunette eyed the room again. "They might hear you." 

"Relax, Reg, they already know. I learned about your little mistake through their gossiping." She hooked her thumb in the direction of the football staff. The graying lecher of the group winked their direction and gave Regina a thumbs up.

For once, her queenly posture melted. "Fuck." She shivered. "I can't believe Whale's impressed with that."

"Fuck, yeah!" piped up one of the other coaches from the back. Stupidly, he held up a hand for a high five from one of the others. The dumbfounded, horrified stare he received quickly made him rethink the move. "I've got a thing." He said and sprinted out of there.

"And, there goes, Gaston," Mal laughed lightly before taking another sip from her drink.

"Emma doesn't know, does she?" The sympathetic look in gray eyes hurt. "You want a sip? I added a little something extra today; this sweet tea might have a touch of Long Island in it. It might help to take the edge off."

Without answering, the brunette's face fell into her palms. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, shit." Mal's eyes softened. "On a scale of stood up on a blind date to Carrie on prom night, how bad is it?"

Regina shrugged hopelessly. "Honestly, I don't know. It may have been a contributing factor the night you drove her home."

A throat cleared behind them. Dr. Hopper sat up straighter, a tad primly. "I am going to insist that you are wrong." He pulled his glasses off and began cleaning them. "As much as I would like to see you be the cause, I have to disagree with you, Dr. Mills. Emma's foray into the alcohol had more to do with the stress of dealing with her dissertation committee than anything you may or may not have done."

Her eyes narrowed at the man. Irritated that he had interrupted, but curious about what he knew, she burned the quaking figure with her stare until she chose to respond. "Ok, little man, what do you think, you know?"

He straightened his bow tie and stood, slowly stepping closer to their table. "The chair of her committee has Pancreatic cancer, stage four. His life is hanging in the balance. His replacement died in a freak car accident, leaving Miss Swan with little time and no other options. They only have a matter of weeks to get Emma's defense done before he dies. However, they have to do it around his treatments and, dare I say, when he can participate. All that has to be taking a toll." 

Both women stared at him incredulously. "Why is this the first I am hearing about this?" Regina asked out loud. No one dared offer an answer.

Archie stammered out, "I only know because I am her department chair, and we are in the same PLC. And, now that I am her mentor as well--"

Fury flashed in chocolate eyes. He gulped and stepped back from their table. "I am sorry. I've wasted so much of your time. I hope you ladies have a good day." He scampered from the room.

"This never gets old," Mal smirked. "You do realize you've caused two full-grown men to run from our presence today."

"Sounds like a good start," Regina's mood had lifted mildly from what the bug of a man had said, but she still felt in her bones that her dalliance might have put a wedge between her and the younger woman. "I need to run, but I will see you at lunch tomorrow."

*****

"Ugh, damn it!" Pulling out the fourth, yet another, sliding chunk of machinery, Regina tried to decipher where a tiny scrap of paper wedged, hidden in a fold; it prevented her from finishing her print run.

The door to copying room three slapped the wall. Emma held a ream of colored paper and two originals in her arms. Seeing the woman working on the machine, she pivoted to leave.

"That's it. Run from me again." Regina huffed in exasperation from where she worked with her hands smudged with ink. "Better yet, why don't you send a student down to run your copies for you. You keep hiding from me."

Emma tossed the paper on the table and looked down at the brunette. "Regardless of what you think, I am not afraid of you." She motioned with her hand for Regina to move out of the way. "However, I do have better things to do with my time than argue with a paper jam." She popped a green lever that the older woman had never seen before and pulled out a diamond-shaped piece of crumpled paper.

"This one hates it when you do two-sided copies. Either shrink them so that both pages are on the same side or go to one of the other machines."

"How did you know?"

"This is Helen. She's my favorite copier. She likes me better than the others do. We've got quite the thing going." Emma rubbed the side. "Be nice, so the lady can leave us alone."

Regina rolled her eyes at the other woman. But then, she contemplated why the machine in 3 always worked for her when it rejected many others. "You might be onto something. If you are crazy enough to be creating a relationship with the copier, I might ought to celebrate that you have reduced our communication down to emails and post-it notes."

"If you only knew." Emma pushed all the pieces back into place, struck the correct keys on the pad. The machine hummed in appreciation, resetting itself to make Dr. Mills copies. Then, Emma wiped at the black streak marking her forearm.

A relieved sigh escaped Regina's lips. Apologetic chocolate eyes held emerald green. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Pushing past the other woman, the blonde grabbed her papers from the table and headed for the door.

A wave of sadness hit the older woman in the chest. It felt a lot like regret. "I thought you said you aren't afraid of me?" the regal tone demanded an answer. "You can't be in the same room with me for more than a minute before you go running out the door."

Emma halted mid-stride. She turned to face Dr. Mills again with her jaw set in an angry snarl. Something dangerous brewed in Emma's eyes. "Honey, have you ever considered that I might be running away to save you? It isn't you that makes me afraid."

Regina swallowed. Her voice came out in a choked whisper. "What do you think would happen if you stayed?"

With slow, deliberate steps, Emma stalked forward. A tremor ran down the darker woman's spine.

"I don't know, Dr. Mills." Her eyes bore into Regina, pouring all the pain, anguish, and anger border-lining on hatred into the regal woman. "Maybe, I might point out that your attempts to strong-arm Archie into letting you attend our mentoring meetings are pitiful and unprofessional."

"I've--"

"No, you asked. And I am answering. You don't get to talk now."

Trying to stay out of the blonde's personal space, Regina backed up a step for each Emma took coming toward her and the copier.

"Maybe I should point out that several of your students came to me for help on their early college entrance essays because you had been unconscionably cruel to some of them in class. You need to be watching Avery and Kendall--something isn't right with either one of them. If you quit barking at them long enough to pay attention to them, you might see that."

Emma blew out a hard breath of air. "Don't get me started on what Jefferson had to say about what you did with his paper. You do know that boy has severe mental issues, right?" Emma slapped her hand on top of the copier, causing Regina to jump. "You are an English teacher, not me. So, why are they asking me? Because they are too afraid of you."

The palm of Emma's other hand struck the machine on the other side of her. Regina realized Emma had trapped her between her arms and the device. As much as she wanted to push her away, scream, yell, or escape, her tongue refused to cooperate. Her eyes remained glued to Emma's. She couldn't break the connection even if she had wanted to do it.

"Or, maybe I should correct your behavior." Darkened emerald eyes danced down the quivering body in front of her. "Is that what you want? Should I punish you?" Emma's lips brushed the shell of her ear." Do you want me to bend you over my knee and spank you? Hmmm."

Regina swallowed; her eyes bulged. 

Emma pulled back so that her eyes could resume their laser beam focus. "I really should. The night Mal drove me home. She took care of my drunk ass. She knew things about me that she shouldn't. I am fairly certain that I told you in Gold's office that I didn't want that part of my life to get out amongst the faculty. Someone has loose lips. But, I'm willing to assume she's the only person you shared those precise details."

Emma leaned further into the other woman. Her lips ghosting over Regina's as she whispered her last words. "Or, perhaps, I am afraid that I might tell you exactly what I think of you and your hateful antics. How you treat your co-workers like cockroaches. You act so high and mighty all the time. Doesn't that get old?"

The blonde pushed a tendril of Regina's hair back into place, then traced a knuckle over an olive cheek; the woman blinked as a frisson of electricity traveled through her body. "But, I like my job enough to want to keep it until the end of this school year. That particular conversation could impede that."

Regina swallowed harshly. 

"What do you think I ought to do, Dr. Mills?"

Regina's knees felt weak. The blood rushing in her ears made her feel faint. She wanted to lean imperceptibly forward and kiss the woman in front of her. However, she could feel a cold loathing pouring from the woman's skin. Revulsion. Everything she hoped to learn from the woman evaporated in an instant stealing her voice.

Emma took two strides backward. "I think I should go find another copier, don't you?"

The English Department Chair stood in the now empty copy room with her hard pounding in her chest.

When the door closed once again, leaving Regina alone with the copier, Emma's image pinning her in place leaped into her eyes unbidden.

*****

"I thought I might find you here." 

A warm voice, Mal's maybe, permeated the comforting haze the alcohol had created. "Hmm. How did you find me?"

The blonde motioned to the bartender ordering a glass before taking the seat next to her friend. "A little birdie told me where to find you."

"Since when have you started talking to the birds?" The brunette's inebriated scowl morphed into confusion, seeing an entirely different blonde sitting on the stool.

"Where's Mal?" 

Emma glanced around the room. "I don't know. But Tim, the bartender, called me. And, I might have been a little harsher on you today than I should have been. So, I am here."

"I'm hallucinating you, aren't I?" Dr. Mills leaned into Emma's space and whispered. "You don't hate me?"

"No, I don't hate you." Emma's heart hurt, seeing the other woman so shaken up by her actions.

"You definitely aren't real then. Since you aren't really you, do you want to know a secret?'

Eyes the color of sea glass twinkled in the dim lighting, a small smile played upon her lips. "Sure. You can tell me a secret."

"When you had me pinned to the copier, and you threatened to spank me." Regina swayed into her space and fell off the stool. Emma caught her before she could plummet to the floor.

"What about it?" The blonde helped her to her feet, holding her steady.

"It was hot." Regina's eyes blinked slowly. "I think I'm going to be sick." The brunette clapped a hand over her mouth, attempting to swallow the bile gurgling in the pit of her stomach.

"Let's get you home before the evil queen turns into sleeping beauty." The blonde rested her palm on the small of Regina's back, guiding her carefully through the crowd and out into the night.

*****

Saturday morning, Regina woke on her couch wearing yesterday's clothing and only the vaguest recollection of how she got home. Her mouth tasted like a small rodent had crawled into it and died. Then, her stomach rolled. She sprinted to the bathroom and expelled the remaining liquor from last night.

Regretting every ounce she consumed the night before, the brunette splashed cold water on her face then looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair stood in uneven clumps with halos of frizziness that reminded her why she usually went to bed with damp hair. Her hand shook as she traced over the tiniest faint line of smeared mascara and eyeliner. Her nose brushed the mirror's surface, examining every line and pore on display. 'Who removed my make-up?' she wondered.

Images of dancing green eyes swelled in her mind. "No."

She stumbled to her sofa and searched for her phone.

** RM: Please tell me that you came to my rescue last night. **

** Mal: IF I said that, it would be a lie.  **

** RM: How did I get home? **

** Mal: I wouldn't know. But I can't wait for you to tell me later. ;) **


	5. December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They make a few significant steps forward. Regina and Emma genuinely communicated on several different occasions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I didn't find the time to post this weekend.

Regina stepped out into the bright morning sunlight. Going up the stairs of the school's front entrance, a group of kids laughed heartily. She turned her eyes on them only to have their laughter turn into hysterical wails.

One held up his phone a little higher. "I think I will call this one the Evil Queen spews out her authority." The hapless teenager didn't notice the woman stalking up from behind him. She snatched his phone from his fingers. The coloring faded from her cheeks; she stared dumbfounded and horrified at an image of her vomiting profusely in the bar parking lot. Emma Swan held her by the waist.

"Mr. Ferguson, you may retrieve your cellular device from Gold's office later in the day. I'm sure he will want to run a full investigation."

"But I didn't--" He had turned to the group for help, but Billy's peers had deserted him the moment she reached for his phone.

*****

"How dare you? Of course, the first person I allow to help me makes a fool of me to my peers," Regina raged. She stomped into the faculty lounge and slammed the door.

The blonde turned her head, gaging the people around them. No one appeared to be listening to the exchange. 

"Uh, no. I don't know what you think you know, but you're mistaken. I have said not one word to anyone that has anything to do with you, Dr. Mills." Emma stood and snatched her coffee cup from the table's surface. 

"You've made me the butt of their jokes. How could you?" Watery-eyed and hurt, Regina ignored the blonde's statement. "Did you know all the kids are laughing at me this morning?"

Perplexed, the blonde sighed and looked around the room. No one offered to translate their conversation into something meaningful. "Okay. How's this my fault?"

"You did this? Everyone knows you carried me out of that bar." She seethed.

Hatred emanated from every pore of Regina's olive skin. Emma deflated before her eyes. "I must admit there was a second or two when I thought that maybe you could be the first friend I made here. Hell, the first person I felt like getting to know in the last few years. You were the first definite maybe in quite some time. I had even considered that I could finally stay in one place for more than a year. It might be interesting to try to put roots down, but thanks for the reminder. This is me—my life. I know better; I don't belong here. In truth, I don't belong much anywhere. Never have. Never will." 

Emma gathered her things and left the room. Instead of wasting her time washing her coffee mug, she pitched it in the trash on the way out of the teachers' lounge. She wouldn't need it again. 

Regina watched the younger woman leave with her head held high, but she could see the woman's interior breaking to pieces beneath the surface.

Tears pricked Regina's eyes as she stared at the door, shaking. 

"What's got you so riled up this morning?" Mal questioned from behind her. 

Regina flipped around her phone, showing an image of herself somewhat intoxicated half-unconscious on her barstool. "The kids have made a meme series out of my evening on a barstool ."

Mal sighed. "Regina, that's from Christie's 'I'm divorced' celebration last weekend. Look at your clothes. Emma's not involved."

Her anger evaporated, and she collapsed into a nearby chair. "God, can this day get any worse?"

Mal rubbed the skin on Regina's wrist soothingly. "Have you taken it to Gold yet?"

"Yes, he said he'd get it handled but pointed out that I wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't put myself out there."

"He's not wrong." 

Regina's gaze turned its deadly force on the blonde. "You are even less helpful than my step-dad, so gee, thanks."

While the blonde worked to calm her friend, Dr. Hooper poked around in the garbage bin near the door. "Oh, this won't do." Archie held up the broken mug from the trash bin. 

Appalled at what she witnessed, Regina walked over to watch his efforts. "Why are you poking around in the trash for that?" Dr. Mills confusedly studied the man, a hint of disgust dangled from her lips.

"Because you need to take it to her with an apology." The man's attempt to be stern with her brought amusement to Mal's face while Regina failed to react much.

Regina shook her head. "No, I can't. I won't do it."

Mal led her to sit on the lumpy couch that had resided in the lounge for decades. "Reg, you know how it feels to be falsely accused. You can't keep kicking Emma like she's your least favorite puppy."

"Wait a minute. I have just the thing." Archie slipped from the door quickly. Then, he reopened the door. "Friedman, don't let her leave the lounge. I can get my neighbor a different Christmas gift. It's in the car." He disappeared again, leaving both women with confounded expressions.

"This could get interesting."

Mills blew out a breath then dropped her head into her hands. "What am I going to do?"

"Before school starts today, nothing. But, you can drop into her room between classes and say something. Anything really. She deserves an explanation."

Regina nodded as Mal stood. "I've got to go set up for the day. I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay." Dr. Mills sat less than patiently waiting for Hopper's return, watching the minutes tick down until the students arrived.

He burst through the door with surprising speed and dropped a new black ceramic mug with white lettering into her hand. "I think this would be perfect for her, don't you?"

She read the words and laughed. Her eyes softened as she turned back to the man. "It's perfect. Thank you, Archie." She stood holding the mug in her hands carefully. "She takes two sugars and one cream, right?"

"Right." His eyes twinkled, thrilled to be of service. But, he noticed how reticent she seemed, glaring at the pot of coffee. "Regina, you can do this."

"Right."

A minute later, the bell rang, but Regina decided the gesture couldn't wait. She filled the cup and prepared it before darting down the hallway. She entered the blonde's room with a half a dozen whispering students, many of who snickered under their breath. With her back turned, Emma flipped through a stack of paper and conversed with a gangly teen boy who seemed intent on their conversation; he didn't see the dark-haired woman's arrival.

When green eyes finally fell on Regina, the younger woman's smile faded. "I know it wasn't you. I shouldn't have assumed. Someday I'll tell you the story of Daniella, and you will understand why I jumped to conclusions that I shouldn't."

She placed the new mug on the desk in front of Emma. "You destroyed yours. But, I thought this might serve as a replacement."

The blonde lifted it to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. Coffee made exactly as she liked it, made the blonde's lips twitch up in a timid smile. "I see you know me a little better than I supposed."

"Maybe."

**I've got 99 problems, and the heteronormative patriarchy is basically all of them.**

Reading the words on the side, Emma giggled. "Thank you for the mug. It's very me."

"Yes, it is." Dr. Mills offered one parting smile before she turned to leave. If there happened to be a little extra sway in her hips on the way out the door, she would argue that it was unintentional even though she could feel appreciative eyes following her.

*****

**_A Week Later_ **

Sitting in the classroom using only her desk lamp for lighting, the blonde chose to spend this planning period relaxing and getting caught up on her grading. Emma sang along with music, piped into the room from her phone while she chewed absentmindedly on her pen cap as she read through a much-improved set of DBQs. She wrote a comment on each paper, giving each student praise and criticism. She knew that next week's exam weighed far heavier than this stack would.

Her door creaked open. "Miss Swan, I need a favor."

Emma looked up from her work to see a very harried and worried Regina Mills wringing her hands in the doorway. "Um. Okay. What do you need?" She glanced at her watch. "And shouldn't you be teaching?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, but I need to go report something now before the day ends." As the blonde's brows furrowed, Regina clarified. "I noticed one of my students has a large handprint across his forearm. I can make out the individual fingers."

"Wow. It wouldn't be Kendall, now would it?" 

"You know I can't answer that." She sighed. "Look, I need to take him to the counselor and start the process. My students are taking notes from a presentation, and then we were going to discuss our readings. Could you be the adult in the room?"

Emma nodded as the brunette continued an unnecessary explanation of her plans for the class. "I can get them to continue the notes, and then they can go back to their reading. We will discuss the book later."

Emma grabbed her coffee. "You go. I'll take it from here."

Not knowing what she was getting into, Emma walked into the room. All the seniors turned to her with a collective stare; she felt the implication that she was an unwanted intruder.

She scanned the room; then, her eyes fell on the glowing board. "Ah, historical criticism." My least favorite, but in many cases, it is the most useful." She eyed the room. "Can anyone put in layman's terms what this means?"

A young woman's hand shot up. 

"What's your name?"

"Taylor."

"Okay, Taylor, can you tell us what this means?"

"Typically, historical criticism means that you have to look at the historical period surrounding when the book was written."

"More or less, that is true, but it goes deeper than that. What does she have you reading right now?"

"Atwood's _The Handmaid's Tale."_ Someone shouted from the back of the room. 

"Alright. That's a perfect example. So, when Atwood wrote that particular novel, the US economy was booming in some sectors and faltering in others--please read in the ethnic neighborhoods. Still, there was also a resurgence of the idea of 'focus on the family.' In all honesty, it sounds harmless enough, but then the reality of it hit. It didn't take long for everyone to realize that it meant that the Roe v. Wade decision was getting challenged. The government and the religious right pressured the insurance companies to withdraw support for abortions and birth control. The AIDS epidemic started, and by and large, it was called the gay disease. The religious right acted like it was acceptable that the gays and lesbians were dying in untold numbers. Can you see how that may have changed how Atwood created Gilead in her novel?"

She expected a comment. Instead, pencils flew across paper. She picked up her mug and took another sip of her coffee.

A student that could pass for an adult smiled at her. "Judging by that mug, I think you might agree with Atwood."

She finished swallowing her mouthful. "Yes, but I must say my issue lies more within the realm of accepting all genders and sexualities."

"What do you mean?"

Emma changed the slide; Feminism glowed darkly. The students began to copy the words from the screen. "So, who was it that asked what I meant by that?"

Another female's hand shot up. "And your name is?"

"Alice."

"Well, Alice, I am going to have to ask a little forgiveness because I have read a lot of her novels, and I may mix and match unintentionally. She is one of my favorite writers, but again, I read a lot. I like Atwood, but I do find her writing problematic at times not only as a woman but as one who sees herself as a feminist. For example, if you read her short story 'Rape Fantasies,' she attacks women who wanted to feel powerless sexually. "

She had anticipated a nervous tittering in the room. The students shocked her by their maturity. 

"Her story criticizes women who have fantasies about someone breaking in and having sex with them. And, to an extent, I get it. But that's the thing about fantasies. They are desires that are often ridiculous, illogical, if not taboo. And, she makes those women out to be fools, more or less. In _The Handmaid's Tale_ , the men are arrogant and controlling. But, ultimately, the main character relies on their hang-ups to allow her to escape, not her intelligence. The men's weaknesses allow her to get away, not her strength. That's always disturbed me."

"Shhh. We haven't gotten that far. Don't spoil it."

"If that spoils it for you, then you must not be paying any attention to detail. I gave you very little." Emma realized many of their pencils had ceased to move. "Since this is the last slide, would anyone like to explain some of the commonalities you see between our current culture and theirs?"

Alice elbows the girl next to her. It's then that Emma recognized one of her own students, Avery, a junior sitting in this senior English class.

"Miss Johnson, why don't you share with us?"

The knowing smirk played on the girl's lips as she stood. "Well, Miss Swan.--" Avery had discussed the book several times with her, already providing the teacher the ability to know precisely where this was headed. Midway through Avery's comparison, the bell rang. Collectively class groaned as they grabbed their things.

A slow clap came from the teacher's desk. "I didn't know you had it in you." Regina's smile felt empty and hollow; the woman appeared emotionally drained.

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises."

Regina's warm chocolate eyes gleamed brightly. "That you are."

"Did you get everything taken care of?" Emma cocked her head toward the office.

An awkward shrug gave the only real answer. "Do we ever know?'

"I guess not." Emma picked up her mug and crossed to the door. "You have a great group of kids."

"Thank you, and I had a great stand-in. You know far more about criticism than most people in this building ever knew. I can't thank you enough." Regina could swear pale flesh pinked a little with the compliment.

Blonde curls bounced on her way toward the door. 

Later Regina would wonder where her sudden bout of bravery came from, "Have dinner with me?"

Emma caught the door frame as she was about to leave. "What did you say?"

Regina stood nervously from her desk. "You heard me. Please, have dinner with me? Tonight. As a thank you."

Pale pink lips spread into a hopeless smile. "I wish I could. I have to catch a flight to Tallahassee. Another time maybe?"

Sorrow filled caramel eyes held hers. "Another time."

*****

**_LBHS Faculty Christmas Party_ **

The saltwater wind whipped through Regina's hair. The two women struggled down the wooden pier toward the well-lit venue at the end of the dock. The brunette pulled her coat tighter around her body. "Whose idea was it for us to have the party at an outdoor pavilion?"

"A lunatic obviously," Mal growled. "Isn't this the fourth year in a row that we've done this."

"I--Gold had the bar stocked better this time." Mal and Regina's eyes fell on Belle, who had snuck up behind them.

"Dear, thank you for making sure the festivities are more tolerable." Mal's eyes traveled up and down the woman's revealing dress.

"I'm sure Gold appreciates your work, and I bet he will be thanking you personally before the evening is over." The younger redhead blushed profusely.

Regina swatted her best friend's arm. "Stop it. Belle, don't listen to her. I am sure my dad will say thanks, but you know how he is. If you want to be an adult and ask him out, please do. He isn't getting any younger." She sighed and stopped so that the younger woman bumped into her. "Look," she pulled on the girl's hand. "If the two of you ever get it together and want to go public, I won't stand in your way."

"We're not--" A burgundy stripe clawed its way up the pallid neck.

"Whether you are now or not, it's beside my point." Regina swept some of the woman's reddish tendrils away from her face. "Life is short. If the two of you have something special, pursue it. Don't worry about what anyone else has to say about it."

"But, we are a school."

"And schools are just huge dysfunctional families. It will be okay."

She awkwardly nodded her head. Mal wrapped her arm through Belle's left arm, and Regina took her right. "Let's get this woman a drink. God knows she deserves it, putting up with my dad all day." Regina announced, pulling all of them at a faster pace toward the canvas structure.

The chosen music blared. "Could some explain to me why adults listen to 'Erotic Train' and the 'Cupid Shuffle' when we've had decades to become better dancers?" Mal huffed as Belle disappeared to the other side of the room.

Regina rolled her eyes at the group dancing and grinding on the dance floor. "I never ceased to be amazed at how we all devolve back into who we were in high school as soon as the liquor begins to pour."

"Shit. Someone let the nurse pre-game too much again." Mal looked horrified as the very hefty woman used the smallest of first-year teachers like her personal stripper pole. "On that note, I'm going to need a lot more alcohol."

"When don't you?"

"Touche.'"

Regina's mouth refused to make any sounds when she went from appalled to awe-stricken. Beyond the clinician's hideous mating ritual, Emma Swan danced, wearing a form-fitting burgundy dress and heels. The brunette's mouth went dry, watching the blonde spin her companion, a woman with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. Clasping their hands together, Emma's companion pulled the blonde flush to her body. The blonde buried her nose in inky tresses, grinning widely. Regina's feet refused to move further into the room. Her eyes stung. Mesmerized by the couple, she watched intently. Their synchronous movement spoke of practice and experience. Self-doubt niggled at the back of her mind as she watched the woman who was quickly becoming her favorite person's carefree movements.

"No, you don't. You don't get to stand there drooling over her like a jilted lover." Mal grabbed Regina's wrist and pulled her further into the party. 

"Why didn't I know she was already taken?"

"We don't know that she is." Mal pushed a drink into the wildly gesturing hand. "Reggie quit making assumptions. So far, it hasn't served you well with her."

"But, look at them. They are practically having sex right there on the dance floor." 

The amused lift to the older woman's lips escaped Regina's tirade. "Stop it. They are not. You know that all of us' Queens of Darkness' get more out of hand dancing together on a Friday night. They look overly friendly, but they aren't that bad, unlike those two."

Her long thin fingers unerringly pointed to where the first-year teachers had assembled with the coaching staff. Regina's lips curled in disgust, seeing one of the young women grinding against a man twice her age and half her IQ.

"I'm going to need another drink. Maybe several." Pulling away, Regina pushed through their co-workers, making a beeline for the wet bar."

An hour later, Regina searched for quieter surroundings. Her legs teetered with too much alcohol and not enough food in her stomach. She lurched into the ladies' room, hoping for cooler air and a respite from the noise. She sighed and fell back against the door, letting the solid oak muffle the clamoring their party generated.

"Oh, come on, Dr. Mills. Your night can't be that bad." Emma's cheerful words teased her. Dark eyes flashed as she turned to where the woman reapplied her lipstick. The skin along the pale neck down into her cleavage glistened in the dimmed lighting.

Regina licked her lips unconsciously. "Isn't that a waste of your time? Dare I say it might even be counter-productive. With the way you've been dancing with your date, I would think you'd be afraid of leaving a trail of lip prints all over your slut's neck."

Emma chewed her lower lips staring unblinkingly at the woman speaking, her jaw flexing the only sign that the arrow hit its mark. "This is a school function, even if there are no children present. It isn't acceptable to be writhing all over her the way you are."

Annoyed confusion darkened Emma's pale features before flattening out into a harsh glare. "Regina, do you always have to default back to angry bitch mode, or is that the alcohol talking?" The hurt shined in her eyes for a split second before vanishing abruptly.

"I'm not angry." Her voice dipped to a softer, unsure tone. She huffed, hating her own weakness. She stepped behind the blonde at the mirror, growling into her ear. "And, it's _Dr._ Mills, thank you very much." 

"Oh, that again." Emma rolled her eyes and turned her head. "Fine. Two can play that game." Their noses bumped while she stared straight into dark mahogany eyes. "Then, it's _Dr_. Swan to you."

"Since when?"

"Wednesday."

Regina shivered. "Congratulations." Her breath tickled Emma's lips. She swallowed, wondering why the blonde hadn't backed away. Her eyes kept darting from blue-green eyes to cherry red lips and back. "I didn't realize--"

"Of course, you didn't notice that I've missed a week of school."

Suddenly, shyness struck. Regina shrugged; her eyes refused to stay on the blonde in front of her. "Actually, I thought you might be practicing avoidance. After I asked you to dinner, you kind of ghosted me." 

Emma hadn't realized her raincheck had been interpreted as rejection. "I am looking forward to that dinner with you, but my defense was scheduled, then rescheduled." She used her hand to tip up Regina's chin. "Long, complicated story short--I had a time limit. I'm sorry. I wasn't--"

"Then, who is she?" The razor-sharp glint in her eyes reminded Emma of a wounded animal.

"Lily?" A breathtaking smile graced Emma's lips. "Dr. Lillian Gant. She was my roommate while I was in grad school at FSU. I ran into her at the airport. She's in town attending a conference, so I took the opportunity to spend some time with my oldest friend."

"So, she's not your girlfriend?" The reticent sound of the department chair's voice bothered Emma.

"No. She's not my girlfriend. Never has been. Never will be. I'm not her type." Emma pushed Regina's hair away from her face, caressing her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Oh?" Regina's voice cracked. "How so?"

"For starters, Lily doesn't believe in commitment of any kind. And, secondly, this might be more important, she is absolutely hetero." Emma's voice fell to a whisper as she watched Regina's eyes closing. The woman all but purred with the tiny bit of affection offered. Turning her hand so that she cupped Regina's cheek, she let her finger tease the woman's earlobe and enjoyed the little tremors running through the intoxicated woman's body.

"Promise me something."

Regina nodded. "Yes?"

"When we finally go to dinner, tell me why haven't allowed anyone the chance to treat you like the beautiful queen that you are." Emma placed a chaste kiss on the brunette's pouty lips. "And, please be sober for it. I want to know the real you, not the woman who hides behind spirits."

The door slammed against the wall breaking the intimate moment. Mal cleared her throat before flinging out her insinuation, "Oh, my. That explains a lot."

The younger blonde sighed, "I'm sorry, but I've got to run." She turned pleading eyes to the older blonde. "I need to drop my date at the airport. She's got the last flight out tonight." With one last look at the brunette, Emma spoke to Mal. "Do you think you can get this one home? I don't think it would be a good idea to let her talk to too many of our colleagues in this condition. She might light a few on fire."

Mal snickered. "Don't worry; her bite is much worse than her bark. Happy holidays, Dr. Swan."

"You too, Friedman." The blonde hesitated at the door. "Seriously, don't let her get anywhere near her mentees tonight. They've resumed acting like college kids. She doesn't look like she's prepared to deal with them." Mal glanced over at her oldest friend, who appeared to be succumbing to sleep against the mirror.

"My God, that could get dangerous." Mal went from skeptical to worry in the blink of an eye. "I hope she doesn't find her second wind before I get her out of here."


	6. January 2018--Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina gives us some of her backstory. School restarts.
> 
> Please be advised, italics are flashbacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am posting this later than I intended, but it's also longer than I meant for it to be. I am working on part 2 of January now...it's the Daniela Effect...

Sometime after midnight, when her sheets produced no warmth, and the emptiness of her condo haunted her, Regina wrapped her peacoat around her baggy sweatshirt and yoga pants and headed for her favorite thinking spot. New Years Day always promised a better tomorrow but failed to deliver. 

_ "You are a fool, Regina. You've wasted literal years of your life waiting around for Daniela to snap out of it." Mal's hand furiously danced in the air, emphasizing every word a habit brought out by impotent seething rage and alcohol. "But, the problem is she isn't the one who needs to wake up; it's you. You have a goddess a few doors down the hall that you see every single day. But, look at you now. Christie drops this bombshell on us, and suddenly you are that broken woman from five years ago. How many times did the two of you fight, break up, her screw half the countryside, and then get back together? She's toxic for you." Disappointed anger radiated from Mal. "I'm sick of this, Reggie. You deserve better. You have always deserved better, but it's a choice you have to make for yourself. No one else can do this for you." Pale fingers snatched the car keys from between their drinks on the table. "I refuse to cater to this train wreck." The words flung with the deliberate care of missiles left gaping wounds in Regina's psyche. _

Memories of her evening spun around her head like ghosts waiting for the glow of dawn to disperse them. The icy wind scraped over her damp cheeks like sandpaper. Regina sat on her favorite bench at the dock's edge, watching the inky blackness dissolve into gray, the first hint of the morning. Her toes ached from the cold that permeated through her fuzzy socks, but it always helped when her body felt the same numbness as her heart. Her world shattered over drinks with the girls. Last night gleefully, Christie had uttered the words that caused hope to fade and the air to escape from her lungs like a sucker-punch to the gut-- _ Daniela is coming home. _ Granted, she had used the words " _ She who must not be named _ is in town," but still, the idea of it hurt.

She hated feeling this way—the gang of girls--Mallory, Katherine, Ursula, Christie, Regina, and  _ Daniela had saved her all through her childhood. _ As adults, the group evolved in the same way that a moped can replace a motorcycle. The group lost members. For better or worse, it diminished their fire, their heart. Kat and Ursula no longer enjoyed each other's company--no one knew why. If alcohol flowed, at some point in time, one would take a swing at the other, whether physically or verbally. Kat's marriage made it easy not to invite her for their 'singles only' excursions. 

Regina inhaled a deep breath through her nose and held it, allowing her chest to burn and beg before releasing the air. The demon in her memory refused to fade. If anything, it grew in strength and detail. It whispered reminders of things best left forgotten.

Daniela. As a girl, her straight blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes made her the picture of innocence. Anytime the group needed a hard ask of their parents, D's angelic looks guaranteed a yes. The illusion of purity and honesty--Regina shook her head; she no longer bought the lie that she helped create as a child. Even as a child, D showed immense talent at manipulating the people around her. '

Shaking her head, Regina failed to shove her memories away. Five years after their relationship imploded, D still plagued her with memories of that night. 

_ "Mal, it isn't funny. Daniela would have loved Aruba." _

_ Mal bumped elbows with her on the car console. "It is hilarious, dear. You and D will not be having a destination wedding because she can't and won't commit. You and I both know that if she had wanted to be there for Christie's first go down the aisle, she would have." The blonde's derisive snort bothered the brunette. _

_ The car stopped at Regina and Daniela's condo. "Thanks for driving us to and from the airport," _

_ She rolled her eyes. "You're welcome, but don't expect me to play nice when D gives us her excuses. The very least she could have done is drive us. Instead, she popped up with a lame business conflict, and here we are." The hard-line of the blonde's mouth said the words she held back.  _

_ Regina bit her tongue as well. She'd just managed to get Mal back into her life after their last explosive argument about her and Daniela's relationship. The slow dissolution of their friend group into smaller cells worried Regina to no end. _

_ She pushed open the door and dashed immediately up the stairs. "Hey, honey, I'm home. I know we're twenty-eight, but don't you think it's time we--" The words died in Regina's throat. _

_ "D, this isn't funny." She stepped into her bedroom in horrified awe. It was empty. No D. No bed. No chiffarobe. No chest of drawers. In panic and disbelief, she threw open the closet to find only her clothing. Whatever clothing that had been in the other furniture now sat in boxes on D's almost empty side of the closet. D left Regina's clothes and a few gift items that she'd never cared to wear. She sank to the floor amongst the boxes and shoes. _ _ She cried until only painful gasps remained. _

Ursula and Mal discovered her days later curled around D's sweatshirt. She pulled the tattered remains of the cuff clenched between her teeth. She wouldn't have this treasure much longer. It hadn't been new when D left it. When D abandoned Regina, she'd left her laundry as well. Regina furiously wiped at the near-frozen tears. The memories of that day still held an agony she couldn't explain—the heartbreak--the humiliation.

_ Ursula had manhandled her out of the condo and forced her into a friendly brunch at the diner. As soon as the car parked at the curb, the happy faces in the window made her want to make a quick retreat. _

_ "No, you don't. We want to see you. It's been a week. Now, you have to get out, hold your head up, and visit with your friends. For every time you have been there to give me a little tough love, I think I need to return the favor." The black woman's melodious voice soothed her. _

_ "But, she's one of our group." The brunette's pleading eyes met her friend's concerned ones. _

_ "Not today, she's not. Besides, bitches get stitches." Her mouth offered a warm smile. "We've missed you. I can't say about the others, but I won't mind D's absence--ever. But for now, you don't need to worry. It's just Kat, Mal, and me. Nothing to worry about at all." Wrapping her manicured nails around Regina's delicate wrist, she gave her a friendly squeeze. "We've all been heartbroken a time or two. How many times have you let me cry on your shoulder? Hmm? At least you never fell for a straight woman." _

_ "No, but I have fallen for someone who won't take the plunge into love. She will only stick a toe in the pool." The bitterness in Regina's voice _

_ Ursula pushed lightly on her lower back, guiding her into the diner. "I'm glad you finally realized that," but her doubtful tone suggested otherwise. _

_ Too many eyes watched them cross the room. Regina sensed something about her situation had changed. She dropped into the seat next to Kat. Her dear friend dropped her phone to the table and smiled. "Oh, nothing much." She held out her hand, where a shiny new engagement ring had appeared. _

_ "Oh, congratulations!" Regina tried her best to sound supportive, but her heart shriveled in her chest. _

_ Ursula smacked the other woman's hand out of the way. "You can't be serious. You had to tell her now," she gritted out between her teeth.  _

_ "Well, I tweeted the news earlier. She could have read it. And I wanted to tell everyone, but  _ **_ some _ ** _ people aren't welcome." _

_ Ursula and Mal both gave tight-lipped silent glares to Kat. _

_ "So, what are we ordering?" Mal asked, breaking the tension. Their server took their order and disappeared while Regina watched the tension growing in her friends' faces. Too many people in the town diner had an eye on the group. _

_ "Does anybody else feel like everyone knows something we don't?" Ursula wondered. _

_ "I've always wanted a Fall wedding? What do ya'll think?" Kat asked, trying to change the subject as the others sipped their coffees. _

_ "My only request is that the bridesmaid dresses not make us look like Barbie rejects." Ursula's fashion sense had struggled with the tacky floral pattern Christie had chosen. The woman cringed in memory. _

_ Kat's eyes widened comically. Her expression forced Regina and the others to turn to look at the front door.  _

_ "Shit." _

_ Daniela, dressed to the nines, held the door for a much younger woman wearing a Chanel dress that clung to her body. They both looked ready to dine at Le Cirque, not the town greasy-spoon. _

_ The brunette swallowed harshly. She'd heard that D had found a young heiress whose daddy was dying when the woman walked into her law office. The lawyer had mentioned their growing friendship in an off-hand way to explain the frequent dinners. Regina had foolishly believed that D was handling business. Now, she knew she was being replaced with a younger, thinner, and much richer woman. _

_ Of course, D's eyes fell on her group of longtime friends. Pretending for a moment to be surprised at their presence, she made her way over. Regina shifted in her seat. Seeing her ex leading the woman who stole her away, Regina cringed--it brought to life every recent nightmare. _

_ "I came to see the ring!" She said over the din of the room. Kat held out her hand; her arm bumped Regina, who tried not to look in the couple's direction standing awkwardly at the end of their booth. _

_ "This really isn't the time for this," Mal bit out; her glare would have sent anyone else scurrying from the room. _

_ Daniela flipped her long hair over her shoulder, entwined her fingers with the girl next to her. "Everyone, I want you to meet Daphne." _

_ Uncomfortable greetings followed, but Regina silently celebrated that there wasn't enough space in the booth for someone to suggest they join.  _

_ "Daph, let's see--you've met Ursula before, the surly blonde one is Mal, and Kat's got the sparkly." _

_ D's attempt at skipping over her existence made Regina feel more worthless than she already did. She did not want to meet this girl. _

_ A long, manicured nail pointed her direction. "And who are you?" _

_ "I--I--" _

_ "She's nobody important." _

_ The whole group gaped at Daniela's statement.  _

_ Ursula scowled and cleared her throat. "Really? The woman you dated off and on for a decade is nobody." _

_ D's smile became cruel as she pulled the younger woman closer to her body. "I stand corrected. She's the dullest person in the world. Cold. Boring. Ambitionless. She's just a teacher. I can't believe how much of my life I wasted on her." _

The bench shifted beneath her. Stiff from the frigid wind, Regina barely turned her head. The halo of curls playing in the wind quieted the ugly voices in her head. Still sweaty from her run, Emma slipped closer to the other woman. Calculating emerald eyes inspected. Worry lines formed above the pale pink nose. A tentative arm slipped along the back of the bench and pulled Regina to her side. 

Regina expelled a shaky breath. She waited for her companion to ask if she were alright, but she failed to articulate the words. Instead, the blonde pulled her closer, slotting the smaller woman's head beneath her chin.

Silently, they watched the sunrise bathe the world in golden light.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not especially." Caramel eyes swimming in sadness looked up at Emma. "You're not asking if I'm okay."

"Nope." Emma paused and chewed her lower lip inwardly debating whether to voice her suspicions. "You've been a long way from okay, perhaps for a long time. Longer than I thought, at any rate." 

The tension seeped from Regina's rigid frame; Emma hadn't poked or prodded at her wounds.

"The difference between you and me is that your pain is surfacing; mine is sinking under the murky surface. It always waits until I'm alone and exhausted."

The brunette huffed and wiped at her eyes. "I wouldn't have any idea how that feels."

"Right." Regina's wind-tossed hair absorbed the blonde's derisive snort. "Don't worry. I won't and can't be critical. If you could see my soul, it'd be as battered and broken as yours. Maybe worse."

"You and that competitive streak. It isn't like it's a contest someone would  _ want _ to win." 

A lone finger jabbed into Dr. Mills's hip. "Pot meet kettle."

Without provocation or permission, Regina found herself enveloped between two strong arms. She buried her hose into the other woman's neck, inhaling sweat and a cinnamony sweetness that could only be Emma's natural scent. The ache in her bones eased; her heart unclenched; she could breathe. "Why do you feel like a human icicle?"

"How is it that you are so warm?" Regina hummed. She felt the tale-tell signs of her body beginning to thaw.

"Running. Exercise does raise the body's temp, you know. You shouldn't be out here wearing this little for too long."

"Speak for yourself." Pushing herself away from Emma's warmth, irritation coiled in Regina's extremities. "I hate feeling devastated by my personal history."

Emma's eyebrows raised, a smirk crept on to her lips. "Ancient, modern or sexual?"

The ridiculousness of the question released the knot in Regina's stomach. Out poured inconsolable laughter. "Oh, my God, you have the worst lines."

"I will take that as a yes." Emma stood. For the first time since streaks of gold heralded the blonde's arrival, Regina's eyes feasted on the woman's winter running gear--she definitely approved of how well it fit her curves. The blonde hand interrupted the smaller woman's thoughts as she helped her to her feet. "Come on; you must be freezing. Let me buy you a warm breakfast and coffee."

Reticent, Regina's eyes begged Emma for security. "Don't worry. I'm not asking you to tell me anything. We are going to have food and discuss something harmless like what book your teaching next."

"Okay." Timid and unsure, Regina took the blonde's hand in her own. "Breakfast sounds nice."

** During the First Week Back at School **

The new semester brought the same thing it did every year. The kids returned, not remembering any school rules. The seniors felt the time slipping away for them to pull their senior pranks. The halls bustled with teenagers dashing to class, trying not to crash into the new couples hoping to steal a kiss.

Regina always hated the first few days back; the teacher's workday being the only exception. Although she had hoped to spend part of the teacher workday with Emma, putting the first-year teachers back on track took any time she could have had. Then the students' first day created a whole new set of distractions, starting with a stink bomb set off outside her classroom door. 

Regina found her groove by day two as soon as she entered school grounds, arms loaded with graded essays. At lunchtime, she entered the lounge, hoping to talk Emma into joining Mal's table. But, oddly, Emma hadn't arrived, and all the talking stopped as soon as Regina entered. She surveyed the room. Several of the coaches gathered together in what looked like a war room scenario. Her eyes narrowed, but the mirth dancing in Mal's told her all she needed to know. "I take it that what we witnessed at the holiday party might be having consequences."

The blonde gave a mild shrug. "Maybe. I believe I've heard the words broken and wouldn't take plan B."

"You would think adults would behave better." 

"Right. Exactly, how many teachers do you know that behave like adults off the clock?" Mal asked, knowing her answer well.

"Asks the woman with battle-ready lightsabers in her living room." Regina enjoyed watching her best friend blush.

"Shh. They're a secret. It's why they fit inside the coffee table," Mal angrily whispered. "By the way, it looks like Peterson over there might be headed for a divorce."

"New Year, new divorce. School hasn't changed at all."

Suddenly, the hallway volume erupted with the shouts and stampeding feet. The little hairs on the back of Regina's neck stood at attention, hearing the thunder of teenagers running toward the cafeteria.

"Admin will handle it," Coach Jeffries said without moving from his chair. "It's just the New Year food fight."

"I heard they've been coordinating on Snapchat."

A collective sigh escaped the group. "You'd think they'd realize the cameras make identifying the culprits easy." Archie shook his head and the barbarity of it.

The coach laughed. "You'd think they'd know that the videos they post are used as evidence against them. But, they are kids and more than a bit stupid."

"True."

Slowly everyone resumed talking. "I'm going to heat my lunch. I'll be right back." Regina sat her water down on the table, then pensively looked at the door. Although the noise had died down some, the roar from the kids growing louder didn't sound promising. She set the timer on her food but kept an eye on the door. She hoped Emma would come through it soon.

"You know a watched door never produces a blonde." Mal quipped.

"Wow, really?"

Then, someone pushed open the teacher's lounge door.

"Hey, teachers only."

"Dr. Mills!" Violet stuck her head in at the door. "Dr. Mills, Miss Swan's trying to break up a second fight. She's alone. Avery sent me for help." 

Regina pushed her way through the teachers shuffling toward the door. "Either come help or get out of the way." She glared at a few of the men, who begrudgingly fell in behind her. "Where is she?" 

"The three hundred hall." 

She sprinted that direction hoping the men would follow suit. She trusted Mal to contact the office.

Turning the corner to a sea of teens, she quickened her pace. Many held their phones high, trying to record whatever transpired.

"Henry, stop it!" Emma's voice boomed above the crowd. A locker crunched with a heavyweight slamming to it. 

"Everyone step back." The blonde yelled again as Regina started to push her way to the forefront. She witnessed Emma's attempt at pulling Nick's arm away; she tried to peel him off Henry. But, the teen tripped over a bookbag at his feet, careening his linebacker's body into the teacher. Nick pinned Emma to the floor. 

Adrenaline pumped through the teenager's veins. Seeing the woman on the ground, his blinding rage took over, and he threw his arm around her throat, smoothly moving into a headlock. Desperately, Emma clawed at his arm, trying to get air to her lungs.

"Mr. Sullivan, let her go now!" Dr. Mills' voice snapped, gaining his full attention. As if awaking from a nightmare, his eyes blinked and came into focus. He immediately let go. His eyes swept over Henry's bleeding face then to where Dr. Swan lay gasping for breath, blood trickling from her nose and mouth. Terrified, Nick leaped to his feet and charged down the hallway. "Someone stop him," She commanded all of the coaches. 

"Don't get up." She put one hand on Emma's shoulder, forcing her to stay on the floor before turning to the kids. "The show is over. Go to wherever you should have been for the last five minutes." 

Regina shook her head. It never ceases to amaze her how all the kids knew where the fights would happen and when. She blew out her breath and looked down at the other woman.

"Do you think you can stand?"

"Probably," she rasped painfully. Emma moved slower than she usually would.

When she managed to stand on both feet, Regina slipped an arm around her waist for support. "You look a little unsteady on your feet."

The blonde smirked. "If you say so." Again, she flinched. 

"Let's get you to the lounge." 

Emma perched on the ugly sofa; the coaches had not returned. Regina fussed over her, carefully tipping her head back and running a damp cloth over her scrapes.

"I promise not to try to kiss the floor next time."

"There shouldn't be the next time." Regina's eyes flooded with anger and worry. "Those boys were too big for us to interfere. You could have been seriously injured."

Emerald eyes sparkled, lips mashed tight, withholding the zinger of a comment Emma wanted to unleash. When she looked more composed, she finally explained. "Nick is more than one hundred pounds of muscle bigger than Henry. He jumped him in the hallway. I couldn't let Henry's chances of a basketball scholarship vanish because Nick doesn't like Henry crushing on his sister."

Belle's voice broke through on the intercom. "Dr. Swan, Gold needs you to send a statement. Will you need a Worker's Comp form?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'll be there in a minute, Belle."

Regina took Emma's chin and inspected the purpling mark across her neck. Her breath tickled Emma's neck raising chill bumps on the other woman's arms. 

"You are going to need to ice that." Caramel orbs lost themselves in sea-green. Emma bit her lower lip and swayed closer to her companion. She pushed a few strands of Regina's hair behind her ear. They stayed locked in each other's gaze.

The end of lunch bell startled the two out of their bubble. 

The brunette cleared her throat and shifted away from the blonde. Regina looked up to see Mal holding her now reheated lunch. "I suggest you eat while you teach." Her eyes danced as she looked between the two. "Or, I am sure Swan here has one of those candy bars that she always eats." 

*****

Two periods later, Regina's AP Lit class filed in quieter than usual. Not one smiled. She checked roll and waited for everyone to get situated before she began her lecture when almost every student raised a hand.

Her brow furrowed. "Yes, Avery, I will start with you. What's your question?"

"Is Dr. Swan alright? I heard Nick threw her into the lockers and choked her." The nervous shifting in the room told her that they were all concerned.

"She's a bit bruised. And, it would help if everyone quit gossiping. Less than half of that statement is accurate."

More hands appeared.

"What's going to happen to Nick?" Ava asked. 

Dr. Mills hesitated. If someone else had asked, she would have entirely deflected the question, but as the boy's sister, she felt she couldn't ignore her fear.

"Ava, he assaulted a student and then a teacher. I would expect the bare minimum to be a two week out of school suspension, and at the worst, he could be expelled. It all depends on what Mr. Gold decides after watching the video footage and interviewing the boys."

Regina squeezed the girl's shoulder. "No matter what you think, this isn't your fault." Ava slumped forward and put her head down, hiding her face with her arms.

"Okay, everyone. That's enough about that for today."

"Is Dr. Swan your girlfriend?" 

The brunette couldn't determine who asked the question, but she froze for a second. She looked at all the expectant faces around the room--not one hint of judgment. "No. No, she's not." Her voice lacked its typical confidence. "At any rate, we don't discuss my private life at school. Everyone open up your copies of  _ The Invisible Man _ . Who wants to share your thoughts on what Ellingsen has to say? As this one deals with racism, I need to remind all of us with lighter skin to withhold our remarks when a POC classmate has something to say that may seem personal. People of Color deserve for us to listen. Not every statement needs a comment."

When the class dismissed, she found a note left behind-- _ the two of you make a cute couple _ . She blushed from head to toe.

** The Following Weekend **

Regina knocked on Kat's door. She hated to admit it to herself, but it had been too long since she had spent time with her oldest friend. Since her marriage to Fred, more often than not, Regina found a reason not to spend time with her favorite accountant.

"Hi," Bright and cheery as always, the blonde ushered her in quickly. I thought we'd eat at the coffee table. The fire makes the room so much warmer."

Part of Regina wanted to argue that the furnace did an adequate job, but then she realized her friend wanted the informal setting and relented. Noticing her friend's bare feet, she kicked off her boots and plopped down on the overstuffed couch.

"If I remember correctly, my quiche was always your favorite." Overly eager and trying to please, Kat dashed into the kitchen and returned with a wine bottle.

Regina smiled at her. "Kat, you do know it's barely past noon."

She rolled her eyes in response. "Yes, but I'm celebrating."

Regina quirked an eyebrow at her. 

"You came. Finally, you are in my new house alone." 

Guilt hit the teacher. "I'm sorry." 

Perching next to her on the couch, Kat handed over a glass of wine. "I know you are. But I'm still glad you are here. To the first of many." She held out her glass and clinked it with Regina's.

"Why are you so blase' about this? I've obviously hurt your feelings."

The married woman sat her glass down on the table and turned her body to face one of her oldest friends. "Because I screwed up first. I tweeted about my engagement and wanted all of you to celebrate. If I hadn't done that--" 

"Woah. Stop that thought now. You had every right to be excited and to want to share your news with us. I should have chosen to stay at home. And, Daniela, she shouldn't have shown up. She had an opportunity to hurt me publicly--"

"And, once again, she took the chance given." Kat shook her head. "How many times did you make excuses for her when she treated you like crap?"

Regina sighed. "Didn't we all do that? I mean, when she cheated on me in high school, all of you defended her. You and Ursula yelled at me when I didn't want to take her back. Both of you said she was just experimenting with making sure she was a lesbian. Then, when she cheated again in our freshmen year in college, both of you said we had committed too young."

"Reggie, you seem to be forgetting the part about you pining and moping over her for months."

"And you seem to forget she was my roommate. I had to watch all of it, every day, under my nose." The brunette took a large mouth full of her wine to calm her anger. "I know. But, I fell in love with her before we knew what love was." She sat her glass back down on the table and looked the other woman in the eye. "And, the sad fact is that I am just now beginning to realize she never loved me as I loved her."

Kat's eyes widened, and a grin blossomed. "You said loved--past tense. Are you finally moving on?"

"Maybe?" Regina shrugged. "The worst part about it is that I suddenly understand what my mother had tried to tell me for years. I was the backup plan and the support system. I was not watching out for myself. I was allowing my love for her to kill my ambition."

Kat sighed. "We all knew. But, look at you. You went to Sarah Lawrence, graduated Magna Cum Laude, went to graduate school at Stony Brook, and now look at you. You are qualified to teach at the collegiate level but chose to teach in a high school because you  **_ wanted  _ ** the life it would allow you to have. Weren't you the one who said publish or perish is not for you?"

"I did. And I don't regret that decision." The look of concentration sweeping over Regina's face covered the pain inside. "I do regret that she came to me when her grades got off track. She became my roommate, not because she loved me, but because I would force her to study. I kept her on track."

Kat side-eyed her. "Have you realized that she moved in with you here because it was rent-free?"

"Ugh. Can we change the subject?"

Kat picked up her wine glass and took a sip, but her eyes flashed knowingly. "Have a little more wine."

"Uh, oh. You've been talking to Mal, haven't you?" Regina couldn't stop the smile that burst forth. "Hi, my name is Regina, and I am working on getting the stick out of my ass."

Kat laughed and snorted. "Cute. So, tell me about this Emma Swan."


	7. January Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will urge caution when reading this. The teacher information/student life details are actual stories that I've experienced. In fact, over the next few chapters, I will be adding in details from one of my hardest teaching years ever to give Emma and Regina a connector that you get in no other profession.

**_ Monday _ **

Dr. Mills slipped into the back of Dr. Swan's classroom during the final minutes of the day. The wry smile on her lips intrigued the blonde, which she acknowledged with a wink. Much like the day in her classroom, every eye stayed trained on the blonde woman speaking. Swan understood how to hook the students and keep them listening even at three minutes from the bell.

"Everyone, we will be conducting our Socratic Seminar on the Holocaust next Monday. To prepare, I want your analysis of  _ Maus _ and  _ Night  _ sent in no later than Friday with a series of discussion questions you would like to pursue. You may consider doing a general analysis of both or do a more specific breakdown of the social structures depicted in the two. Please remember this is a history course, not English, so your analysis of its accuracies and interpretations, not whether or not you approve their sentence structure. Any questions?" The bell clanged loudly. "Class dismissed." Emma looked at the woman leaning against the back wall with a beaming smile on her face.

"And, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence Dr. Mills?"

Her cheeks dusted a rosy red beneath her makeup. "I wanted to say thank you. The flowers are beautiful."

Confusion displayed on Emma's face. An apology hung unspoken between as Regina sensed her misstep. "I'm sorry. I didn't send you any flowers. I admit I thought about it but then decided against it. They are too impersonal."

The brunette's face fell, morphing into something borderlining on worry. "If you didn't send me a dozen long-stemmed purple roses, who did?"

"I don't know." Emma studied the other woman, seeing her slowly deflating. "Those aren't your favorite, are they? You seem more like a lily and orchid kind of woman." The words came out in a near whisper that felt much like a caress to Regina's skin.

Regina nodded absently. "I am. Roses are a bit overdone."

"Are you alright? If you want, we can grab a cup of coffee." The blonde glanced around the room and found them completely alone. Regina appeared to be withdrawing into herself, recoiling in situ. With deliberate steps, she grew closer to the brunette, brushed a hand gently across her cheek. "Hey. Look at me." 

Fear filled pools of coffee stared out at her. "They came to my home. Who else could have sent them?"

"I don't know." Emma slipped her hand into Regina's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm afraid I do." Apprehension showed on the Latina's face.

"Why don't we go get that coffee? We can sit and talk it out." Emma suggested again.

Regina shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe another time." Her voice cracked. The blonde could see tendrils of fear running beneath the surface of her skin as Regina's mind raced over memories of Daniela's jealousy. "I'll see you tomorrow." The brunette fled from the room before Emma could change her mind.

**_ Tuesday _ **

Regina stormed into the front office at lunchtime. "I'm telling you I didn't order any food today. What is the meaning of this, Belle?"

The younger woman pointed at the hipster, twenty-something leaning casually against the wall.

"Can I guess that you are Regina Mills?"

Her brow furrowed as her eyes traced over the rumpled clothing. "Yes. And, who are you?"

"I'm your UberEats delivery dude." He handed her a brown bag with string handles. "This is the bag from Thibideaux's fine dining and this--" He handed her a paper and plastic carafe. "This is a Starbucks special. It's already paid for by 'the love of your life.' Tip included. Have a nice day."

Regina held both items with her mouth hanging open. 

"I suggest you enjoy your lunch, dearie. We will figure this out later." Gold said from behind her. She gave him a nervous nod before sprinting to the teacher's lounge.

Moments later, she thrust the door open in an uncharacteristic panic that Regina hated to admit seemed to become much more common. 

"They did it again. They sent me something and then sent it here." She dropped her packages on the table in front of Mal. Emma crossed the room and joined them at the table. 

"Why does this worry you so much?" Emma asked.

Mal's gray eyes grew stormy. "Best case scenario is that Daniela is trying to tease her into dinner."

"Daniela? I thought she left." 

The brunette's eyes filled with tears. "She did so much more than leave. She destroyed me. She took my independence and my pride. And then, she trashed them. She emptied my bank account then stole my furniture. She made sure that I had to ask my step-father for help." She gritted the truth out between her teeth, no longer caring what the rumor mill had to say. 

Standing with her arms wrapped around her middle, Regina's tears raced down her cheeks. The two blondes eclipsed her in a hug in the middle of the lounge where all conversation had died. Then, she pushed them back, putting distance between herself and both blondes. 

"Miss Swan, Daniela is a personal matter that I need to handle without your interference."

"What?" Emerald eyes filled with worry but recognized Regina's walls had shot sky-high.

"I am afraid I don't have the time or the energy to deal with someone like you right now, Miss Swan. Please take your leave."

Emma sighed in frustration but knew she couldn't win. "Right, your highness. I knew better than to assume you might trust me." She grabbed her lunch and left in a huff.

** Thursday  **

The class change ended with the closing of the frosted glass door. Dr. Mills used the remote to change the slide.

"Let's continue our deconstruction of satires with Oscar Wilde's  _ The Importance of Being Earnest _ . Can someone please review what we said yesterday about Voltaire's  _ Candide _ ?"

Loud knocks echoed through the room. "Give me a moment." She said, eyes trained on the door.

"Look over your notes. I need to see what this about," Dr. Mills said as she opened the door to the largest flower arrangement she had ever seen. She started trying to make sense of the absurdity of the gesture; her class time was sacred, her AP class time even more so. Who would be foolish enough to interrupt this with a ridiculous romantic gesture?

Much to her horror, the answer to the silent question revealed herself by moving the flowers to her side.

"Hi. I know this is a shock, but I thought with how we broke up, a grand romantic gesture might be a step in the right direction."

Daniela had cut her hair into an asymmetrical bob, giving her the look of an impish schoolboy. Her blue eyes flashed mischievously; her cocky grin sat in place with no remorse in sight.

"Surprise. Come on. Have dinner with me.:

Flustered, speechless Regina gawked at the ghost in her doorway.

"So romantic." A girlish voice behind Regina whispered. 

The sound of the students whispering behind her snapped the brunette out of her shock. "I'm in the middle of class. I can't talk about this now, and I most certainly won't be doing it in front of my students. We can talk about this later." She growled out through locked teeth.

"You sound angry."

Rather than responding, Regina closed the door in her face. Ignoring the angry knocking behind her, the teacher stalked over to her desk phone. "Security, there is an intruder outside my door. Please remove her from the building. I don't know how she was able to get to my classroom, but it needs not to happen again." Her voice came out surprisingly strong, given the circumstances. She blew out a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Dr. Mills, are you alright?"

Embarrassed, she opened her eyes to twenty-two, worried seniors sitting quietly in their desks. "Kendall, could you tell us what you noticed about Mr. Wilde's play?"

**_ ***** _ **

**_ Friday _ **

The clouds had rolled in, bringing the darkness with it. Emma tossed her briefcase into the backseat. She looked at the one light still shining from the second floor. Regina's silhouette looked on where she stood. The blonde dodged the teacher's lounge for a day and managed not to see the brunette in the hallway; neither behavior felt mature, but she knew that her hurt feelings wouldn't allow a civil conversation. Regina didn't need or deserve the attitude she'd receive if she approached Emma right now.

However, when she heard the strange woman yelling at the campus SRO earlier, it had drawn Emma's attention, but the blonde had not been stupid enough to get involved. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she got in her car and began driving home. She exited the parking lot, took a hard right, and another to circle behind the ball field, but as she turned the corner. Her lights hit someone stumbling across the grassy area. She threw the car into park and stepped out into the darkness.

"Hello."

Emma yanked her phone from her pocket and called 9-1-1 as she groped her way around the car into the field.

"Dr. Swan!" A frightened voice called from across the grassy ditch behind her.

Emma turned toward it but still couldn't see anything as her eyes slowly adjusted to the low light. It sounded like Avery, one of her AP kids. Spotting movement ahead, across the drainage ditch and up the bank, she struggled through the high grass in the dark. Finally, reaching the barrier where the county began its maintenance, she sped her progress; she sprinted up the grassy embankment to the girl above. She found her clutching her bleeding left side that oozed through the fabric of her volleyball team sweatshirt.

The tall girl with auburn hair collapsed to her knees. "You need to come quick. He's hurt."

"What about you?" The blonde lifted the girl's red hand from her side, where her soaked sweatshirt clung to the skin beneath it. The winter wind had drained the heat from her skin. The girl shivered in the darkness.

On the fifth ring, a voice came on the line. "This is 9-1-1 emergency services. How may I direct your call?" 

"He's gonna kill him." The girl cried.

The operator must have heard the girl's words when Emma began talking. "My name is Emma Swan. I teach at Leopold Blanchard High School. I am currently behind the school's baseball field at the edge of the property. I saw one of my students stumbling along the side of the road and pulled over. She's bleeding from her midsection. And, she says someone's in danger."

"Avery, honey, can you tell us who is in trouble and where?"

The girl nodded. "My brother, Kendall. Dad came at him again. I had to break out my bedroom window to escape. I came here to find help."

Emma cleared her throat and repeated the girl's words. "The kid in trouble is Kendall Evans, a senior. He lives at 543 Birchfield Road. If you can send help there, I will take Avery to the Storybrooke General Hospital."

The blonde helped her freezing student into the car and slipped into the driver's seat. She held the girl's hand as they listened to the dispatcher on the line. Occasionally she cut in to ask about their progress, but as soon as they arrived at ER and the medical team met them in the breezeway, the 911 operator dropped the call.

Feeling shaky as the gurney wheeled the girl away, Emma dialed Principal Gold's cell number.

"Dr. Swan, why have you interrupted my dinner?"

"Sorry, Sir. I am at the ER with Avery Evans. I thought you might want to know I picked her up on the edge of the school property covered in blood. She said their father attacked Kendall again. I believe several of us have filed DFACS reports on the family, but the kids are still living in the house."

She heard the man's dinnerware clink, and then the line grew much quieter. "Exactly, where are you?"

"I'm at Storybrooke General in the lobby of the ER. When they allow me to go sit with Avery once they have her stabilized, I will probably go be with her wherever they put her."

The older man cleared his throat and sighed. "Do you know how bad the boy is doing?"

"Not a clue. No update."

"I see. I suppose it may be a little late to remind you that we are mandatory reporters, not first responders. The girl should never have been in your car." 

The blonde let him speak, knowing his words had more to do with legalities than his feelings. Then, she heard him saying something unintelligible in the background, but couldn't discern who.

"Would you like Belle and me to be with you there, or would you rather keep me updated?"

The wail of an ambulance sounded in the distance. "If this is Kendall coming in, depending on his condition as to my answer."

Instead of the gurney and two nurses, a full trauma team sprinted out the doors this time. As soon as the ambulance bay doors opened, a sob came from her lips. 

"Sir, I think you better come. It's bad." 

A shout came from the ambulance. "We're losing him!" The speed with which the team moved in synchronization around him told her of his condition's seriousness.

"I will be right there."

In her gut, Emma's eyes squeezed shut; she knew how Sara felt watching helplessly as a loved one fought for their life.

She ended the call and leaned against the wall watching the trauma team doing their best to get the boy to stabilize. When the entire group ran with the gurney on the way to surgery, she knew he had a sliver of a chance.

**_ Same Night at the Aesop's Tables _ **

Mal watched Regina sipping her appletini and replacing it on the table. "Christie, how many drinks has this one had tonight?"

Everyone at the table knew exactly how little the brunette had consumed; Christie chose to play along, tapping the end of her chin. "Hmm, let me think. She went to the bar with me when we arrived and ordered an appletini, and then she came to sit. I drank my rum and coke. It wasn't enough to get my party started, so I went back for three fingers of scotch. Then, I had to get a refill. I am going to have to say in the last two hours, she's nursed that drink. Speaking of which, unlike her, I plan to be so drunk I can't see straight. The bartender is calling my name."

Ursula elbowed the brunette playfully. "You are allowed to drink. No one is going to rat you out to blondie or whatever you think is going to happen."

Regina scowled at her friend. "Why would Kat care what I'm drinking?"

"I meant Emma, darling." A mocha hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged playfully. "Aren't you going to tell us about your new woman."

Regina flinched, then chewed her lower lip. She emptied her glass in one gulp and set it back down. "Contrary to what you may have heard, I don't have a new woman. Emma and I aren't dating."

"Yet." Mal's lips turned up in a devilish grin. "If you try to deny that you nearly kissed her while tending to her wounds in the teacher's lounge, I am going to smack you."

"That was two weeks ago," Regina snapped.

"Ooo. Why didn't someone tell me? If I miss out hearing about the first kiss, I will be more than a little hurt." Ursula piped up and noticed the brunette's reddening cheeks. 

"Umm--" Mal started to speak, but a sharp kick to her shin stopped her. "Ouch, Reggie!"

"Well, technically, she gave me a peck on the lips at the Christmas party, but I refuse to count that. It was sweet. I was drunk. She wasn't willing to offer more than that at the time." 

All the women at the table took in the shy smile on Regina's lips and silently celebrated until Mal piped in again. "Of course, that was before you told Emma to take a step back.

Regina rubbed her temples. "I shouldn't have done that. But, Daniela has been ridiculous all week." She huffed. "I think she got the message when I had her escorted off campus."

Mal rolled her eyes. "You know D. You just issued a challenge with that. Have you apologized yet?"

Dodging the question, Regina's eyes floated over to the bar where Christie's fingers were flying across the keyboard of her phone. "Who do you think Christie's been texting all night?" The brunette tossed out the question hoping to change the subject. 

"God knows." Mal grumbled.

"Whatever happened to Stefan?" Regina asked, suddenly realizing her dear friend hadn't mentioned her rich boyfriend in a few weeks.

Ursula's face darkened. "I thought you weren't coming tonight because he was whisking you off to Paris."

The blonde lifted a shaky glass to her lips drinking the better portion of what filled her glass. Then, Mal shook her head. Her lower jaw jutted out fiercely. "Old news Urs. About the time Christie told us about D being back in town." She squeezed Regina's hand. The comment had made her flinch. "We had a big fight that more or less made me realize that he's not what I'm looking for at this point in my life." 

"What is it that you want?"

She gestured to the room of raucous, drunken people. "I don't know, but not this. I'm no one's arm jewelry. I need a partner, not a playmate."

Taken aback by Mal's very unMal-like behavior, teary-eyed and soft-spoken, Regina cleared her throat then glanced around the bar and spoke in a quiet tone to be heard only by the two at the table. "Whenever you two decide you've had enough of this, I've had more than enough of watching Leroy fly into a rage every Friday night."

Mal slipped from her chair and wiped unshed tears from her eyes. "I'm going to visit the powder room. "

The two women watched Mal's form disappear. "Do you think he broke her heart?"

Gaging the look on her friend's face, Regina cocked her jaw to the side and indeed studied Ursula for the first time in ages. "No, I think he hurt her ego. She never lets them get close enough for that." She pets the other woman's hand to drag her attention back from staring across the bar into the dark alcove where the restrooms hid. "Why are you suddenly so interested?"

Ursula sighed and pulled her hand away. She idly stroked her fingers through her hair and avoided eye contact. "You know why. I'm not in love with her anymore, but I still want her to be happy. She hasn't been in such a long time."

"You know she's always loved you too."

"But, not like that." 

The pain floating in the depth of dark chocolate floored Regina. "How did I not know this?"

Ursula shrugged. "I haven't exactly advertised it. Besides, you had your own personal drama to handle. Mal never treated me like a broken toy, but she doesn't want me the way that I need her."

"Does Mal know? I mean, really know. Or, did you ask her for a date and she said no?" The brunette asked.

"I already know her answer. She will use a woman for a one-night stand, but when was the last time you saw her date one?" 

The flat line of Regina's lips answered for her. 

"So, why would I tell her and make everything weird?"

Regina squeezed Ursula's hand. "You don't know that. I thought you said you were in love with a straight girl."

"She might as well be."

The brunette's eyes narrowed. "You've spent too much time making assumptions without finding out the truth."

"So have you." Ursula's words cut unexpectedly close to the truth.

"What the fuck did you do, Christie?" Mal's loud shout ruined their intimate moment. 

"What's" Regina's brain tried to decipher why Mal had shoved someone out of her way. 

" **_ You _ ** do not get to come in here. This is our place."

The bouncers blocked their view. "Who is she yelling at?" Ursula wondered out loud.

"No, idea." Then, Regina heard that girlie laugh that made her heart sink. "Shit! Daniela's here." 

*****

"I hope you know that this is an odd occasion that made me change my mind." The bartender hooked his thumb toward the blonde-haired lump leaning against the bar.

"When did she get here?" Mal asked worriedly, chewing her lower lip.

The bartender continued drying the glass in his hand and thought. "I kicked you and your lot out around ten. Maybe elevenish. She's been here less than an hour, but she's been drinking whiskey and nothing else."

"I see." She blew out a breath, knowing that Emma's condition had nothing to do with Regina. Yet. 

She walked over to where Swan lay against the bar. "Come on, Emma. Let's get you home."

Glass-eyed, Emma blinked at the other blonde. "Hey, Mal. Wanna drink?" Her slurred speech made the words hard to understand.

"No, I am rescuing a damsel in distress. You need a ride home."

Taking in the woman on the stool, she realized Emma still wore her work clothes. 

"Come on." She pulled at the woman's elbow and noticed the stains on her sleeve. As the blonde pushed to her feet, she noted the reddish-brown stains covering the right side of her blouse and slacks.

"Emma, what's happened?" Mal wrapped an arm around the woman, helping her walk, but listened carefully for anything that might explain her condition.

"I suck at being the savior. I failed her. How can I protect kids when we report it, and they ignore it?"

Imploring green eyes held gray. "The Evans kids had a bad night."

"It doesn't look like yours was much better."

"No. No, it wasn't." Emma leaned against Mal's car. Her eyes took in the near-empty parking lot. "You know how it is. We see the bruises. We ask questions. We report, and then no one can tell us what's happening. We have to believe in the system. But, it seems like more often than not, the kids stay in harm's way. And we are left holding their hands and saying it is going to be okay and knowing full well that it's a lie." Wild curls blew in the wind. The blonde used an uncoordinated hand to brush her hair out of her tear-streaked face. "How am I supposed to look Sara in the eye on Monday when I know her mother will bail her husband out of jail, and he will be home waiting on the kids by the time school is out? How am I supposed to do that?"

Mal chose to take up the space next to Emma. "Would you prefer not to care?"

"No. Someone has to give a damn."

"Right. In loco parentis.In lieu of the parents. When they don't do their job, the job becomes ours. We have to remind them that they matter." 

A cold gust sent shivers down Mal's spine. "Let's get you home before we both turn into popsicles."

"Why aren't you and the girls still here?"

"Swan, you are sad enough. We can talk about this tomorrow if you like. But, you don't need it right now."

Wounded eyes turned to Mal. "Regina went home with Daniela, didn't she?"

The stricken look on Mal's face aged her features. "I made the mistake of trying to force Daniela out. Reggie took offense at my heroism and left with her. I shouldn't have made a scene. But, I didn't want her to take a wrecking ball to Regina's life again. She's just starting to find her feet."

Emma's lips tipped up in a sad excuse for a smile. "Maybe we have to trust Regina to take care of herself."

"Have you met Regina?"


	8. February Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday morning after the events at the bar, a heart to heart between the lovely ladies and the beginning of Dani's true colors showing.

**_Saturday Morning_ ** \-- **The Diner**

Emma's fist supported her heavy head while her other hand clung to her coffee cup like a life-line. Although she still wore yesterday's clothing, she managed to force her hair into a high ponytail and remove the raccoonish mascara smudges from her face. A little worse for wear, Dr. Swan's morning began to take shape.

"Do you know what point in the night a bunch of crazed angry elves broke into my room and painted my tongue with roadkill?"

Mal chuckled and sipped her coffee. "Your dinner came from the ER vending machine, didn't it?" The older blonde's eyebrows raised as the smirk on her face turned into an evil grin. "Serves you right. No one with intelligence would purchase and eat anything from a vending machine that isn't a chip or a candy bar."

The younger blonde collapsed face-first onto the table. "Don't remind me. The package said egg salad. It tasted like a blend of blue cheese and pickle relish." 

Mal's lips corkscrewed in disgust. "Better your tastebuds than mine. What I find amazing is that after that you added all that whiskey on top of it and have not spent any time worshipping at the porcelain throne." Her knuckles rapped against the tabletop. "I'd say any stomach that can handle that can come to any girls' nights out on the town. God knows it would be wonderful to have someone who could out drink Christie and not make a mess of everything."

The dour sound of the older woman's voice made Emma sit up and face her companion. 

Wondering what she had missed, but not foolish enough to ask. Emma changed the subject to something close to what she wanted to know. "Have you heard from Regina?" Dull green eyes watched the other woman hoping for clues as to what she had happened last night.

"You slept on my couch. Don't you think you would have heard me had I spoken to her on the phone?"

"Texting is a thing." Emma raised an eyebrow pointedly, watching Mal's uncomfortable shifting in her seat.

Gray eyes flashed and grew stormy; the younger blonde couldn't figure out if Regina and Mal had falling out or if something entirely different had transpired.

"Is Regina mad at you?"

  
  
  


Mal sighed and blew out a long slow breath. "It's not that simple. The whole situation isn't. Dani appeared at the bar last night. And, that's a whole lot of problems in one."

Emma blinked confusedly at her. "Daniela is toxic for Regina; she always has been. But, they've been friends or more for most of their lives. It isn't easy for Reggie to see how damaging D is to her. I'm scared she's going to do the same thing she has always done--come in and sweep Reggie off her feet, tell her how great she is and then treat her like she isn't worth knowing. The last time, it was everything Urs, Kat, and I could do to keep Regina from killing herself. And, Christie doesn't see it. Dani can keep up with Christie and her wild ways, so she keeps her in the loop on what we are doing."

The waitress dropped by the booth and took their orders, her lips curling in amusement at Emma's disheveled appearance. As the woman walked away, Emma self-consciously smoothed the wrinkles out of her button-down shirt. 

"You can give that up any time now; it is a lost cause." Mal's teasing tone made the other woman's eyes roll.

"You know you could have loaned me another shirt at the very least." 

"And it would have fit like a second skin since I am several sizes smaller than you." Then, Mal's eyes narrowed. Her eyes danced over Emma's form. 

"I think she would look delicious in one of your shirts, especially that lace one that we can see straight through when you are in the right lighting." Regina's words from behind the booth caused Emma's eyebrows to rise in shock. The smaller woman dropped into the booth beside her while Ursula slipped next to Mal.

"What happened to you?" Regina smiled, although her face showed a little concern for the woman next to her.

"Rough night."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" The two women quickly began to whisper back and forth, lost in their little bubble. 

"Not here. It's a student thing, and I don't want the wrong ears to hear names or the situation." 

Regina's lips flatlined in concern. "After breakfast, I'll give you a lift home. You can tell me about it then."

"How did you know I didn't drive?"

"The yellow crayon isn't out front."

Emma rolled her eyes playfully. "Quit picking on my baby again. Anyway, what about you? From what Mal said, I wasn't expecting you to look" she paused and thought about what word to use--" happy. You look happy." Emma hated the hint of sadness that crept into her words.

Mal's nails clicked on the tabletop garnering their attention. "Nuh-uh. You do not get to skip the elephant."

"Neither do you," snapped Ursula. Her eyes bore into the blonde sitting beside Regina. "What are you doing with her?"

Mal looped her pale arm through a mocha toned one. "I had to rescue this one from ending her god awful bad day with Jim Beam."

Emma scoffed, "I don't think so. Beam is not my style; it was Bullit. I am a bit picky, even when my goal is to get completely shitfaced." She offered her hand across the table. "I'm Emma."

Relief softened the darker woman's features. "Regina's Emma?" 

"Yes, my Emma. Now, elephant, what elephant?" Regina rolled her eyes and replied. Regina didn't see the beaming smile that appeared on the younger blonde's face.

The older blonde leaned and growled across the table. "When you left the bar, Daniela was with you."

Regina fervently shook her head. "No. That isn't what happened at all. You have it wrong. So wrong. While you were yelling at the bouncers, I was talking to Dani. She wanted to buy me dinner, and I said no. She begged for a second chance." The brunette chewed on her lower lip. "She cried when I said no." She swallowed harshly, and her voice cracked. "Then, she fell apart right there in the parking lot. So, I asked for time to think about it."

Ursula pursed her lips. "I keep telling her that there is nothing to think about this one. Daniela has had chance after chance. She needs to tell her too little too late."

Emma felt the woman next to her flinch at the darker woman's harsh tone. "I have a lot of good memories, even great memories, with D. I don't know if I can walk away from trying again. I've tried to live without her for five years. But I haven't been happy."

Mal smiled over at her old friend. "True. However, I hate to burst your bubble. Dani made you miserable more than anything. And, you've been on the right track this year. You might not be happy, but you are getting closer, and I think everyone at this table knows that Daniela had zero to do with that."

"That does not change that I don't remember my life before her. Daniela was my first love and the only person I have loved. How can you expect me to toss aside someone who I've loved forever? How do you expect me to give up on her?"

Regina didn't notice the pained expression on Emma's face at her words. Then, Ursula cleared her throat and evenly stated, "She's also the one that made you think seriously about dying."

At those words, the brunette recoiled, her eyes glazed over, and she buried herself into the blonde's side at the brink of tears. In a move that felt as natural as breathing, she dropped her head to Emma's shoulder, letting the woman's quiet strength hold her together.

Emma slipped an arm around Regina's shoulders, feeling torn into pieces. Part of her wanted to bury her nose in the brunette's hair. Another part wanted to run as far and fast as she could because of what she heard Regina utter less than two minutes ago--she knew the only way this would end would be with her heart smashed into tiny pieces. The blonde tried not to enjoy the woman leaning against her but failed miserably. 

*****

The car ride to Emma's stayed quiet. The blonde expected to be grilled as soon as she slipped into the older Mercedes, but then she realized Regina wanted to wait until they weren't in a moving vehicle. 

Emma opened her front door and allowed Regina into her home. "You know, other than Mal dragging my drunk ass home a few weeks ago, you are the only guest I've let in here."

"Hmm." Regina's eyes appreciated the tasteful yet minimalist decorations. "I see you prefer landscape photography."

"No family, so…"

Regina winced, realizing her mistake. She chose not to comment further. "Why didn't Mal bring you home last night?"

"She said something about being worried about me being alone." Emma sniffed her shirt. "Speaking of, I'm going to go shower quickly. I'll be right back." 

The blonde disappeared, but soon the scent of brewing coffee permeated the room. Regina took her time studying the framed photographs hanging on the wall. She wondered if Emma had taken them or if she had purchased them.

"That's Tuscany. I think I took that the first time I was there. Maybe in 2009." 

Caramel eyes shared their warmth with sea green. "Can I ask an honest question? I'm not trying to offend, but I've only known you for a short while."

"Shoot." Although Emma feared the question, she believed that if she said no, Daniela would win this one for sure.

The blonde grabbed the brunette by the hand and led her to the couch. "While you think about what you want to ask, let me grab our coffees." She wanted to enjoy having Regina in her home as long as she could because part of her remained afraid this visit would happen only once.

Emma returned with two cups from a Wedgwood pattern that Regina recognized. Her transfixed stare at the cup broke when the blonde cleared her throat. "You look shocked."

"I am. Not many people our age have real fine china when they haven't been married."

Staring into Emma's eyes, she watched the spark of happiness get snuffed out, but didn't have a clue why. She sipped the delicious steaming liquid and hummed in contentment. "My God, you make a good cup. You may be my barista any day."

The blonde's mouth smiled, but the hollowness in her eyes stayed.

"You know Dr. Swan; most people have pictures of friends and family on their walls. I have looked at every photograph hanging in the living area, your office, and the kitchen. Not one has a human being in it. Why is that?"

Emma shrugged and sipped her coffee. "I suppose it's because I have very few people in my life that I would care to have their image on my wall. And, the few that have been that important I either can't because I don't have one, or the memory is too painful."

"Would you be willing to tell me more? Or, have I already ruined the best friendship I could hope to gain?" Regina's eyes shined bright and hopeful.

Emma bit her lip. "You have been a bitch on many occasions, but I can't hold it against you. I think we are both more than a little damaged."

Regina took another sip of her coffee before setting it on the coffee table, then she turned and pulled one leg into the cushion so that her kneecap pressed into Emma's outer thigh. "Would you prefer starting with a personal history or recent events?" She used one arm to prop her head up and the other to pick up her coffee.

The blonde dropped her head to the back of the couch and squeezed her eyes shut. "I think I'd rather start with recent events then I will give you a cliff's notes version of what you need to know about me. It will help explain why I haven't been beating down your door for that date. I know you think it's because you keep sticking your foot in it, but it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me."

"That sounds reasonable. If you don't mind my asking, what happened yesterday?" Without Regina's permission, the arm along the back of the couch had made its way across the cushion to play with the wet ringlets framing Emma's head.

The blonde's lips formed an easy smile. "Do you remember the day you went to make a mandatory reporter statement on Kendall? Don't give me that look. We both know he was the one that had a bruise on his arm. I had phoned the 1 800 number about something Avery had written in her journal the night before, so I knew I couldn't report that one as well. I had to give the system time to go through the process, which sucks because it is so fucking slow. I've actually reported my suspicions to the counselor on multiple occasions where I had no evidence, but my gut instinct tells me something is seriously off about that house." Emma sighed and wiped the tears that were forming at the edges of her eyes.

Breathing out slowly, Emma's eyes settled on where Regina's left hand still teased at her curls. "You can't help yourself, can you?"

Olive cheeks blushed. She went to retract her hand, but Emma had dropped one of hers onto the knee pressed into her. A tender squeeze brought the realization that Emma welcomed her attention.

"Anyway, yesterday was rough. There was an odd tension in the air. The whole day felt off then when I went to leave; it was a bit late. You were still on campus, but not many more. I left and went the back route where the road winds behind campus, and I saw someone coming across the field, and they were staggering. They looked like they needed help. I pulled over, and it was Avery, and she was bleeding and crying. She said her dad was going to kill Kendall, and she was panicking." The blonde gave up on wiping the tears that refused to stop. "I called 911 and drove her to the hospital. Thank God, she was in triage when the ambulance arrived with Kendall on it. I think he coded in the parking lot, but I'm not sure. Everything happened so fast. One minute they drove up, and the next, the whole team sprinted down the hallway with him on the gurney."

The blonde's voice cracked as she continued. I stayed with Avery until the social worker appeared. She very quickly dismissed me and reminded me that if I were to share the details that I would lose my teaching license forever." Wringing her hands in her lap, Emma shocked her companion with her willingness to be open. "This wouldn't feel so bad if I didn't understand how Avery feels. I've been in that situation. Yes, it was different, but not really. You want to save your sibling, but you want to go home to a place you are wanted. You know if you protect your brother or sister, you will lose your home--no one wants a kid that will snitch. You can't have it both ways. Home or safety, that's the choice. And, it just sucks."

Having given up on staving off the tears, Emma let them roll down her cheeks unimpeded. She squeezed her eyes shut and let the couch hold her body in position; she felt boneless.

Tentative fingers moved from hair to scalp, then on to her face. A thumb wiped away errant tears. An inner light drew Regina forward, caught in its magnetic power. With tenderness, she'd never shown anyone in her life; she brushed her lips against a pale forehead. Gentle kisses etched into pale pink skin driving the demons of a lifetime of neglect back into the shadows where they thrive. Her lips created a trail from her temple, down her cheekbone, then ending on pale lips.

The first time Emma's lips came to life. She hummed, drawing an involuntary moan from Regina. The vocal encouragement moved the brunette to straddle the younger woman while the kiss deepened. Their mouths moved in an intricate dance gliding, tasting, and savoring until they broke apart in search of air.

"Wow."

"Sometimes, I wonder where you earned your degree." Regina's teasing snark ended with Emma popping her ass. 

"Spanking you is still not out of the question." 

Regina rested back on her hips, pulling her face back. "I believe you promised me a story about why you are so understanding and patient with me."

Emma's face scrunched in obvious distaste, "I'd much rather resume you comforting me, but I should explain why I told you I was broken." She sighed and reached over to Regina. She used her thumb to clean away the lipsticks smears. "You remember how I transferred to Vandy. I found myself alone and far from the life I knew. But, my benefactor had provided clothes and a nice apartment and paid my tuition. My life looked comfortable with a stranger. Anyway, I started up my running habit days after my arrival, and in the first week, I met a woman. Petite, dark hair, dark eyes, dark humor. She and I met every morning and ran together in silence for five miles. Then, it became eight miles. Then, a month in, she asked me to meet for breakfast, so I did. Soon we had a routine; we would run, shower and breakfast together at my place. Then, she started dropping in occasionally in the evenings always with takeout in hand."

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina, bracing her as she reached over for her coffee. She emptied the remainder of her cup and swallowed. She gaged the other woman's response to her words before picking up her story. "If I had been less starry-eyed, I would have noticed the white stripe on her finger where her wedding band belonged. If I had been less desperate for love, I would have noticed how often she checked the labels on my clothing or that some of my more expensive clothes were the ones she chose to 'borrow' when we'd had sex, and she prepared to leave. She always left me with a pair of jeans and a button-up. The funny thing is that she left me with clothes I would have bought for myself. There were moments I tried to convince myself that a higher power had made her for me by giving me the wardrobe she wanted. It was sick and twisted, but so was how I saw my life."

The vacant look in emerald eyes worried the brunette. "You don't have to tell me anything else if you don't want to share."

"I think you need to hear this, maybe more than I need to say it." Emma's hands stroked Regina's ribs finding comfort in the other woman's shape. "Can you imagine how I felt the day I ran into my girlfriend, her husband, and two kids at the deli? What made it worse is that she was wearing my clothing while pushing a stroller with the baby and a toddler. She looked like she belonged in one of those stay home mom magazine ads. I quickly learned that I was a distraction for a bored housewife."

Pale palms traced the brunette's sides down to her thighs and held her. "I wish I could say that I was strong enough to kick her to the curb after that. But, it would be a lie. I let her use me until I graduated and left for Tallahassee. The only thing that changed is that she no longer pretended that I was more than her toy. I chose to be content with whatever affection she gave me."

Emma’s words tore at Regina’s heart.

"If you are wondering if I think less of you because of Dani, I don't. If you are worried that I will demand you tell her to leave, I won't. I need you to understand that if you want to choose me, that is wonderful, but I can't influence your decision for it to have meaning for me. It has to be just that. It has to be yours."

  
  


**Tuesday, February 13th**

"I'm serious, Emma. I think the county office is investigating how well we are reporting on our students because of Kendall and Avery. Don't be surprised if you get called to a deposition." The two women walked across the parking lot to where their cars sat parked together, neither noticing the blonde leaning against the Mercedes.

"We should be fine. Both of us did our part. We used proper channels. There should be plenty of documentation to back our story. Either way, I'm glad someone is taking this seriously."

The brunette rolled her eyes at the blonde's attempt at humor.

"Who is she?" A demanding voice cut across where they stood between the cars.

Daniela stood in a power suit with her arms crossed, looking angrily between the two women.

"Dr. Emma Swan. This is Daniela." Regina offered in hopes that Emma would be willing to play along.

"Nice to meet you." Emma offered her hand only for the other woman to look at her like she carried an infectious disease.

After she felt spurned by the other woman, she thought that it would be best for everyone if she left Regina to deal with the woman and her stalkerish behavior."Well, I've got to get going. I will see you tomorrow Dr. Mills." To anyone who didn't know the two, it seemed as though Emma were addressing her formally, but Regina knew she was being teased.

Emma opened her yellow mustang convertible and cranked the engine. As she backed out of her parking space, the knot in her stomach grew. She couldn't leave Regina to deal with this mess on her own. She called the front office and bypassed the secretary's recording. It rang through to Gold's office.

"This is Principal Gold."

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you screaming at the screen that I stopped it there, no she's not in danger that isn't the implication...Dani is just still not giving her space. I have another 3 to 4000 words planned for what goes next but it would have made this chapter ridiculously large AND, I wouldn't have it completed until next weekend. I thought you would rather have half than none. Anyway, thank you for all the kudos and comments.


	9. February Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's day hits LBHS. Regina has made a decision and now she has to share it with everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like you could use the rest of the Feb chapter. I will tell you to enjoy the contentment where you find it because March will be a hard chapter to read.

**_ Wednesday, February 14th _ **

The halls echoed under Regina's high heels. She dreaded the day that started in little more than an hour. High school Valentine's always created more drama than the school knew how to contend. Bypassing the teachers' lounge and heading straight for her classroom. When she turned the corner, a small bright white light glowed upon the floor, demarcating Emma's light in the darkened hallway. An unseen tether drew her that way. She entered without knocking, finding the blonde sipping a coffee and humming along to her Spotify playlist.

"Good morning," Regina's words had a hostile quality.

Emma dropped her pen, stood, and rounded her desk. "It would disagree, but it's getting better because you are here, and you look absolutely gorgeous." 

The disarming smile and the compliment deflated the anger that had built overnight. Regina sighed and said, "I can't believe you left me standing there with her."

Emma's hands shot up. "Woah. I didn't want to make a bad situation worse. You and I both know she took one look at me and was going to make a scene. I removed myself from the equation because I was afraid of what would happen next." She took Regina's hands in hers and gave them a comforting squeeze. "I called Gold. He said he'd handle it. I considered checking in on you last night, but then I realized I wouldn't be the one you'd call if you wanted to talk about Dani. I don't know enough of the history to be that useful."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "I appreciate what you were thinking, but I did not appreciate being abandoned even if you were probably in the right. Daniela wanted to ask me out for a Valentine's date tonight." She sighed and leaned against a student's desk. "I wish she would quit making this difficult."

"Why don't you tell her that?" Emma eased herself onto the closest desk. 

Regina tried to read the blonde's expression. She wanted to know what Emma was thinking but understood she had no right to ask. "I've told her I need time. She appears to be unable to comprehend what that means--I want to be left alone to make up my mind."

The blonde leaned closer to her. "Somehow, I don't think that's why you are pushing her away. I think you know what you want. The question is, are you too afraid to admit it."

"Oh. And, you presume to know what I want." Regina's eyes sparked with fire bubbling beneath the surface.

"Look at you, 'presume.'" Emma put her fingers up and mimed air quotes. "This isn't a faculty meeting. Regina, I am only saying that I think deep down in the depths of your soul, you've already made up your mind. The rest of us are just waiting for you to fill us in as to what that is." Emma slipped from the desk and began walking away. "Look. I get it. She's your first love. You can't walk away from her. She broke you into a thousand pieces, but part of you still wants to love her and be loved by her. You don't need my permission to do that. I won't think less of you for not being able to let go."

Regina watched the woman walk across the room while talking. Emma had chosen to do so to hide her face away; Regina knew the tactic well. Appreciating Emma's inner strength, Regina sat in awe of her raw fragility. Right now, she felt it in her bones; Emma never believed she had a chance in the first place. That sudden wave of comprehension sliced her heart in half. Her throat muscles tightened with the realization that she had harmed this unique creature without intending to do it. And, dear Emma didn't blame her in the least. 

With an air of finality, the brunette rasped out, "I appreciate why you think that Emma, but I am not sure that I agree with you. Over the last week or two, I have been doing some soul searching, and as much as I loved her, and as much I want you, I am not ready to have either. I think I'm better off alone."

Emma's eyes held disappointment, but no anger. "I understand. I've felt that way for years. You were the first person in quite a long time that made me rethink my decision. Thank you for telling me."

Regina nodded quietly before slipping out the door leaving the blonde sitting behind the desk feeling desolate.

*****

"Miss Swan, I mean Dr. Swan," Grace said as she walked further in the room. Henry and Michael stood inside the door, trying to decide if her mood had improved. By the third period, the whole school knew better than to be playing with their Valentine's in view of Dr. Swan; she'd taken hostages.

"Good. Grace, I'm glad you came back to get your bear." Emma turned and lifted the oversized, overstuffed brown bear from the extra office chair behind her. 

The girl blushed mightily, getting the toy back in her arms. She hugged it to her body before sprinting over to Henry and delivering a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you again."

Emma rolled her eyes at the two but then saw Michael standing to the side, looking lost. She'd worked to bring him out of his shell, but in many ways, he was more closed off than she ever had been. Watching Henry hold the door open for Grace, the blonde couldn't let the troubled young man leave without making sure he was okay.

"Michael, can you wait a minute?"

Henry and Grace waved at him but continued their flirting down the hall.

"Are you okay, Michael?"

He nodded, but his cheeks grew ruddy unused to attention. She sighed. "Did you have anyone to buy a present for this year?"

"Nope." The p popped harder than he might have intended. He stood uncomfortable in his skin, trying to look anywhere but at his teacher. 

"I can imagine that hanging out with your half-brother and his girlfriend on Valentine's doesn't feel great."

Michael growled a little. "It's worse than you think. I have to play chauffeur for those two. Henry arranged for them to do dinner and a movie, but because he still hasn't passed the test yet, I have to do the driving; dad insisted." 

Emma grimaced, "I guess it's bad enough to be the third wheel. I can't see how today's date makes it any better." She grabbed her bags of grading and flicked off the lights. They stepped out into the hall before he began talking again.

"Don't get me wrong. I am not mad at Henry. He is the best. Why do you think absolutely everyone in this place adores him? He's great. He's the best brother I never had."

He sighed. "The thing is Henry isn't my brother or my half-brother by blood. I'm the neighbor that never left." Confused but absorbing his words, Emma chose not to overdo her reactions. She turned and locked her classroom door and checked the lock as if he had told her about the weather. He stayed dutifully close, unburdening himself with this secret. "When I was little, my mom died, and my dad started drinking. When he did, he'd get scary. I would run to see my best friend next door. Henry's room is downstairs. He would keep his window open at night even in the winter so that I could slip in when things got bad. This habit started early. I mean, I don't remember not running there. It was like I did it as soon as I could walk. I was in kindergarten when I finally stayed all night. His dad found me curled up with Henry that morning. I don't know what happened after that, but my dad more or less disappeared. He comes by sometimes to say hello, but for the most part, he's gone."

He plucked one of the bags out of Dr. Swan's hand and began walking with her down the hallway. "Henry's the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't mind being the chauffeur, but it's hard sometimes."

Emma nodded in understanding.

"I just once wanted to be someone's somebody special. I want to have a Valentine, that's mine."

The teacher grabbed the boy's elbow, halting their progress. She glanced up to where Henry and Grace continued talking, seemingly unperturbed by the other two. "I get it. I do. I've never had that either. I was a foster kid. I never had parents. And, I've never had anyone look at me the way Grace looks at Henry. Here I am, thirty-one years old, and I've not once had it. Most of the time, I go off and explain today away; it's a Hallmark holiday. It has no real meaning. Any good relationship should show their appreciation in little ways all the time, not break the bank once a year. And even though I know all of that to be true, I'm feeling broken today because the person who I thought might change that didn't choose me. And it hurts. But, she did something I never expected. She chose herself. And, maybe just maybe, that is what you and I should be doing. We should choose to care about ourselves more because if we don't learn to love ourselves, how is someone else going to do it."

Michael smiled sadly at her. "Wow. Maybe I'm not the biggest loser here."

"Smartass." 

He wiped at one of his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. But, better a smartass than a dumbass." 

Feeling better, he picked up the heavy bag again. "You know you don't have to grade to keep yourself from feeling lonely."

"No, but sometimes adults have to do this thing called work."

"And, you say I'm the smartass."

Regina stayed behind her classroom door, shaking. She'd heard the very private conversation. And, she felt Emma's lie--the only emotion billowing inside the blonde's heart was self-loathing.

*****

**_ Saturday at Kathryn's _ **

Regina and Mal buzzed around the other woman's kitchen, helping with the finishing touches on their lunch dishes. 

"I can't believe you are letting me do this here." Regina poked her old friend with her elbow.

"Reggie, this isn't the first time I've let you cook in my kitchen."

Mal laughed. "I don't think that's what she meant." 

"It isn't," Regina confirmed.

Kat waved it away. "I know it isn't. But, you need neutral ground where no one will care how much of a fuss she creates. You need to have this intervention and call it over."

"Amen," Mal said, pouring the rest of the contents into the blender. 

Both women looked at her incredulously. "Interventions of this sort require alcohol. Deal with it."

"Fine, but make something non-alcoholic too. How about iced tea?"

Mal shrugged her agreement and continued. 

One single knock on the backdoor announced Ursula entrance. "I knew all of you wouldn't hear me at the front, so I thought I'd come around. What time is Dani coming?"

"She's supposed to arrive in another hour. That gives us time to prepare our food and ourselves."

"And what time is Christie coming?" The darker woman smirked. "I take it we've had enough of her."

"Thank GOD, finally." Kat's vehement outburst brought a round of laughter. 

"I thought you wanted her to come to everything," Mal said, pointing to Ursula.

Wearing natural curls today, her dark hair barely moved as she shook her head. "No. I never wanted to invite her. I hadn't enjoyed her company since before Dani left. She burned it with me when she kept sleeping with my girlfriends."

Her eyes met Regina's across the room. "Don't feel like the lone ranger, dear. I'd argue that she started doing that back in high school."

"Right." Regina lifted the dish. "Kat, get the oven for me." She deposited the enchiladas in the oven and clapped her hands. Now, who is going to help me make the pie?"

"What do you need?" Everyone turned and gawked at Mal. "What? I can peel apples, measure, and pour most things. Don't ask me to assemble it. That would be disastrous."

"Fortunately for you, I didn't fall in love with you for your culinary skills." 

Regina's head turned to stare at the two women. Ursula leaned on her elbows, hovering close to Mal, who had turned bright pink.

"I didn't know you were outing us today," the older blonde huffed.

A mocha hand lifted an alabaster palm to her lips. She kissed it and spoke quietly. "I asked if I could tell them. You said yes. Why should I wait any longer?"

Their matching smiles told the other two women that they'd finally realized how good they were together. "I guess if we're confessing, I should point out that I told Emma I wasn't ready to date anyone." Regina's smile though more genuine than in the past, held a hint of regret. "Now, I have to roll out this dough. Mal, do you remember how I like the apples cut?"

Everyone started working again while Kat watched blissfully happy. Ursula poured several mojitos, but when she went to hand one to Kat, she stepped back almost as if she had been burned.

"I'm pregnant." Kat burst out. "I'm sorry. I should have waited, but honestly, I've been dying to tell someone two months."

"Congratulations." The three surrounded and hugged their friend, teary-eyed and amazed. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Her smile fell, and she drew a deep breath, "I lost the first one. It was the early days. I'd only taken the test the week before, and then I lost it. But, we are in the second trimester, so I feel safe enough to share."

The three other women stared at her dumbfounded. "Why didn't you tell us?" Ursula asked, knowing the others wondered the same.

"Each of you had too much going on, and I wasn't ready to talk. And it wasn't as bad as you think. I had only known I was pregnant for a few days. It didn't feel real yet." She chewed her lower lip then clarified, "Therapy didn't hurt either."

Regina placed her hands on Kat's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "No matter what is going on with me, I want to know. I want to be there for you. All of you have spent years of your life holding me up; it's high time I learned how to do the same for someone else."

"Maybe Friday night drinking can be replaced with Saturday brunch or lunch?" Mal interjected, causing everyone to turn and stare at her.

Ursula's soft smile encouraged Mal to talk. "I drink too much, and being at Aesop's makes it too easy to continue that. I have needed a break from it for a long time now."

"Count me in," Kat said just in time for the doorbell to ring. "But, if it is all the same to all of you, can we repeat NONE of this to Dani."

"Agreed." They all nodded.

Regina quickly assembled the pie. "Ursula, can you get lunch out of the oven and put it on the table? Make sure you put it on the trivet, or Kat will kill both of us." She put the pie in the oven before heading to the dining room.

"Wow, there's my woman. I was wondering where you were." Daniela charged forward and hugged Regina tightly, making her feel claustrophobic and trapped. It took the blonde several seconds to realize Regina didn't appreciate the affection.

"Regina, what's the matter?"

The brunette looked over at Kat. "I think we should all sit and eat. What do you think?"

"If everyone could take a seat." Kat suddenly turned into the hostess, pushing Daniela to the far side of the table and away from Regina. For the first few minutes, everyone settled in and selected their food. The brunette zoned out over small talk. Ursula and Daniela spent most of the meal comparing their jobs. Ursula had chosen family law over corporate. Dani had decided to make the most money that would allow her to meet more affluent and well-connected people.

"And, that is how I managed to have an all-expenses-paid vacation to the Maldives last year." She finished her story. "Reggie, are you alright? You've been awfully quiet."

'It's now or never.' She told herself, pushing her almost empty plate away. "Honestly, what should I say? You have made yourself into a very successful attorney. That's great."

Mal began walking around the table, refilling everyone's drinks and making sure that she hovered near Dani if things became explosive, which looked imminent.

"That's all you have to say. I've been gone for years, and that's it," the woman snarled. "You haven't said how much you miss me or that you're impressed with what I've accomplished. I know you had to see the photographs of me with the governor. It was in the paper last week."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I told you that I'm happy for you. I'm glad you are successful, but why do you care what I think? You left me. I came home to a condo missing all the new furniture and an empty bank account. You stole from me, D. On top of that, you made sure that I felt a fool."

"I did no such--"

Mal put a hand on D's shoulder. "You asked. Let her answer."

"But, Reggie, I love you."

"Ha. You had a funny way of showing it, didn't you? People who care about you don't treat me the way you always have. How many times have you cheated on me? I bet you don't even know." She stopped, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. "I've spent the last five years putting myself back together. I can't help but think that the only reason you appeared in town is that Christie told you I met someone new."

A possessive grimace appeared on the lawyer's face. "You wouldn't have met her if I were in the picture."

"Yes, I would have. We work together."

Dani scoffed. "I bet it was the blonde from the other day."

"It isn't relevant who it is because you and I are nothing. We are never going to be anything ever again. I may not be ready to date anyone right now, but when I do, it won't be you again, Dani. You had your chance over and over again. You never thought I was worth anything."

"That's not true. You are my forever."

"No. I'm your backup plan. I don't know who tossed you aside, but I am not going to waste my time putting you back on your feet for the next person."

D swallowed. Something Regina had said hit home. 

"Did she leave you?" The brunette prodded, trying to find out why Daniela chose now to return. 

"She threw me out after she found out I was sleeping with my legal aide." D's confession brought a snort from Ursula. "That explains why you suddenly left your firm."

"What?" Mal sat the pitcher down. The force threw liquid out of the top. "You didn't." She began to laugh as she saw the blood draining from Daniela's face. "You slept with an important someone's daughter, got yourself in trouble, and you came back for Regina to bail you out--you can't be serious." Maniacal laughter fell from the older woman's lips. "You are an even bigger idiot than I thought if you believed she is going to rescue you again."

"Come on, Reggie, you've always helped straighten me back out."

Melancholy amber eyes looked across the table at someone she now realizes she never knew. "I don't think so. I have seen under the facade, and I don't like who I found there. Dani, you asked me to think about it. I have. My answer is never again."


	10. March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma receives a series of devastating news and is crushed by it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by some of the worst events that ever happened in my teaching career. In the interest of not torturing the reader, I had less students die and I made their deaths less violent, and tragic. You will think you disagree when you read it, but I promise what really happened puts this at a 4 or 5 and the events took it to an 8 or 9. Really, there should be two more unrelated deaths. They all happened in the same week..just before graduation. And, they were all seniors. But, for the sake of fiction, I chose to not go that route. Emma still gets emotionally wrecked but hopefully, the readers won't have it as hard.

Monday

The groundhog had misjudged the coming of spring. March brought freezing rain and gray skies. Emma clocked in and checked her school mailbox while still wrapped in her winter coat. 

"Good morning, Dr. Swan." 

"Good morning, Dr. Mills."

Terse greetings followed by strained silence punctuated their days. Although Regina had attempted conversations on multiple occasions, Emma refused to cooperate. She understood the other woman's position, but rejection stung, especially when the blonde believed they had been working toward something more only to discover the truth. The blonde's heart stopped in her chest when an olive-toned hand latched onto the arm of her coat. 

"At some point today, I need to talk to you." The brunette offered a warm smile that reminded Emma that she wasn't her enemy.

The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. "About what?"

"Dr. Swan, I will explain either at lunch or after school. Which would you prefer?"

"I'd prefer to know why."

Exasperated by Emma's lack of cooperation, she removed her hand before Emma's laser-like focus cut into her skin. She leaned into the blonde's space and whispered, "I've heard rumors that you spoke to Avery about juvenile emancipation. I was trying to help you protect yourself."

Emma deflated. "I'll be fine. I always am." 

The inner pain struck a chord within the English teacher. "Emma--"

"Leave it, Regina." The blonde snatched her hand away. "You don't need to waste your time worrying about me. I can take care of myself."

Through gritted teeth, Regina whispered, "The dark circles and your painfully obvious hangover make me question that theory."

Trying to step around the brunette, the woman kept blocking her path. "Whatever you think you know, it's wrong. I haven't had a drink in more than a week. This is not a hangover. Now, please let me by; I have things to do."

Acquiescing, Regina stepped out of her way. Emma may be infuriating, but she doesn't lie.

"Dr. Swan, can you wait a moment, dearie?" Principal Gold called, sticking his head out of his office.

"Yes, sir." Emma returned and sidestepped Regina again, wondering what the sudden private moment would be.

"Close the door behind you, please." 

Emma scanned the room, seeing Gold, the school counselor, and several other teachers. "Could you please take a seat?" He offered the sole empty chair in front of his desk.

"As many of you know, our transgender student Quran Peters was moved into a different group home last month. She has been calling herself Beyonce' for a few weeks and seemed to be improving, but she disappeared from the home. As many of you know, Dr. Swan has advocated for Beyonce'. When parents protesting at the school board refused her the right to use the ladies' room, Dr. Swan saw that she received a key to a faculty bathroom. As you can imagine, she has kept in communication to make sure the problem resolved itself. Dr. Swan then reported that Beyonce' missed her class for four days, which is highly unusual. Her call to the guardian didn't provide an answer, and they seemed disinterested. Now, the police are involved. Be aware each of you will likely get interviewed because the home is not sure how long she has been missing. If anyone has any idea where she may have run to, please share the information when you can. I know our rumor mill. You should be hearing the kids whispering about it sometime soon. I want to clarify that if any of you think this might have to do with a hate crime or bullying, do not hide it from the investigation. Are there any questions?"

When the group stayed silent, he dismissed them. Emma didn't move from her seat until the door closed. "Beyonce told me she didn't feel safe at home last week. I went through the proper channels reporting it. You and I both know the problem isn't on campus."

Gold walked around his desk and squeezed her on the shoulder, offering affection with as little contact as possible. "I know. But, they have to investigate here as well. We might have missed something."

Emma shook her head. "Don't be offended, but I'm hoping she packed her bags and moved to a city that's more forgiving of people being different like New York or LA. She didn't stand a chance here in the suburbs. Being black and transgender gave her a target on her back. I don't blame her for running, but I hope it's to a place she's accepted."

He handed her his box of tissues. "You can't save them all."

"Says who?" She smiled at him as she stood to leave. "I guess they will be talking to us during our planning time."

"No. We are waiting on the detectives to get set up in the counseling office. We will send down a substitute when it's your turn. They hope to be finished with the adults before the first period is over and with the students by lunch."

She grimaced. "I'm glad we got them to do something even if it is rather late. I can't help but hope she's not hiding in the woods in this weather."

"I find it interesting that you don't appear worried about her."

"I'm worried, but I know her. She's a survivor through and through. And, she knows how to find me if she needs help."

He sighed dramatically. "Dr. Swan, let's both pretend that you don't let the students have your cell number."

She raised her eyebrows in challenge. "Fine. I'll play along, but we both know that I have prevented two of our star athletes from losing scholarships over drunk driving. I am more than willing to drive a group of kids who have been out partying home than lose one."

His fatherly smile improved her mood slightly. "You have no idea how very much I appreciate your candor and your attitude, but don't share that with the school board."

*****

A dusting of snowflakes fell outside her classroom window. Emma wondered where Beyonce' had gone. She worried that she'd been foolish enough to try to hitchhike; the world was dangerous for cis women, but for transgender, it was far worse. But, more than anything, she hoped the girl was warm, dry, and safe.

"Is now a good time?" Regina asked from the doorway, expecting the blonde's refusal.

The halls cleared more than two hours ago. By now, only a handful of teachers remained. Momentarily turning from the window, the blonde nodded while the flakes' increased size and tempo mesmerized her. "It's as good a time as any."

The brunette closed the door then sat on the student's side of Emma's desk. Inspecting the blonde's face, she found her haggard and withdrawn. "How long will it take until you aren't hostile with me?"

Emma sighed. "I'm not hostile." She pressed her lips together in an uncomfortably flat line making her thin lips all but disappear. "I apologize if that is how it feels. I'm just very hurt, and it's my fault. I let myself hope. I shouldn't have done that; I don't normally allow myself that conceit. Not that it will make you feel any better, but I am a lot fonder of you right now than I am of me."

"I guess we both suffer from a bout of self-loathing now and again." A sniffle from across the desk turned the blonde's attention to the woman in front of her. A few tears streamed down her face. "This isn't the conversation I came in here for, but I think we need to have it."

"I don't know what else we have to say on this matter." Emma attempted to sound cold and aloof; she failed miserably.

Regina sighed and shook her head. "Emma, if you don't start thinking with your head when it comes to the kids, you won't receive another contract. Try to use some self-preservation while protecting the students."

The blonde huffed. "Christ. Is this about Mr. Evans going to the school board? I am aware of his accusations, but I'm also an ex-foster kid. I know what the law says. I didn't break or bend the law. Yeah, the district might not like what I have done, but I'll sleep better at night. So, will the Evans kids." She paused and blew out a breath. "Not that it matters, but I'll be okay. At the end of the year, I'll walk out the door with my car packed and find a new town, new school, and a new life. It certainly won't be the first time and probably not the last either. It doesn't matter how much I advocate for the kids if the law doesn't do their part--which up to now, it hasn't. But, I will know that I did everything that I could to keep Kendall and Avery safe."

The blonde nervously tapped out a rhythm on her desktop, giving Regina time to respond.

"Emma, I need you to listen, please." Regina's chin quivered and wrinkled as she struggled to get the words out. "You don't have to leave. I wasn't trying to play with your emotions, and hurting you was never my intention. I thought you understood when I said I shouldn't date anyone right now."

"I do." Lifeless green eyes refused to hold her gaze. "I don't know why you want to keep talking about it."

"Emma, this isn't understanding; this is emotional blackmail."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut. "Regina, I'm not asking for anything from you other than to leave me alone. Say whatever it is you needed to before we charged down this stupid rabbit hole. I am not trying to make you feel any way about anything. My emotions are my problem, not yours."

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"You blew it off when I thought you were hungover this morning, but I am concerned. We all are."

The blonde rolled her eyes and began to grab her things. "You don't know what you're talking about at all."

"Your skin is pale; you have bags under your eyes, and you look ill most of the time. In the last month, how much weight have you lost? Twenty pounds? Thirty?" Regina stated, gesticulating wildly with her hands. "You are not okay."

"I never said I am." Emma tossed a few items in her bag, pulled on her coat, and headed for the door. 

"Then, what is it? If this isn't about me, what is it then?"

The blonde froze, and her head bowed. "Fine. Look, yes, you hurt me. But none of this is on you. In my first, Alexis' cancer screen came back positive; she starts chemo next week and may have to get a hysterectomy at 16. The Davis kids are being used as leverage in a divorce in my second. One of my babies came out to her parents as gay three months ago. They beat her black and blue and ran her out of the house. The sad truth is that she is transgender, but was too afraid to tell them the truth. You may have seen her; she goes by Beyonce.' She disappeared from her group home sometime last week. I am worried about her. My gut feeling is that something is horribly wrong. She may have run away, or something terrible could have happened to her, and in case you haven't noticed, it's snowing. On top of all that, Michael is cutting again. Kendall isn't speaking to me because his dad threatened to hurt me if he did. And, Avery, God bless, Avery's hands shake so badly that it looks like she has the DTs. The system is failing my kids at every turn, so, yes, Regina, I'm not doing too well."

She shrugged helplessly. "What can I do that I haven't? I am worried about my kids. I haven't been drinking because if I use it to hold me up, I am very likely going to crawl into the bottle and never come out again." Emma wiped at an angry tear. "Pardon if I didn't want to share any of this with you. I felt that part of you choosing to be alone would also mean that our heart-to-heart conversations were off the table because, for me, it's dangerous to let you close to me. I'm going home. Shut the door when you leave."

****

**_ A Week Later _ **

Emma snatched the official-looking letter from her school mailbox on the way out the door.

_ Dear Dr. Swan, _

_ It has come to our attention that you may have infringed upon the rights of a parent. He also informed me of other possible infractions. In due course, we will be investigating your relationship with your students, all of your students. The School Board will conduct student interviews Monday afternoon. _

_ At this moment, legal counsel is unnecessary; however, we may need to take action upon your contract if any untoward findings are exposed. _

_ Yours Truly, _

_ Eugenia Wolf _

_ Superintendent Storybrook County Schools _

"Fucking great," she muttered under breath walking through the front office.

Belle cleared her throat, "Mr. Gold suggested I give you this business card. Maurice, my dad, is a retired judge. If they start acting like they will be severing your contract or going after your certification, give him a call. He will handle it quickly. I've already spoken to him about what's happened. He said he would make time for you if things get worse."

"Thanks." Emma swallowed. She'd known that sooner or later this would happen, but she had hoped Mr. Evans' police record would have resolved the issue.

She sighed and walked out into the parking lot. The late afternoon sun cut long shadows over the parking lot. Tires squealed in front of her when a car slammed on the brakes and went into a quick spin and reverse. The new dodge challenger's paint glistened under the parking lot lights. The car slowly rolled in her direction. Henry's head popped out the driver's window and waved.

"Dr. Swan, I got my license."

"It looks like you got a whole lot more than a driver's license."

He beamed. "Dad gave me my graduation present early. He said my scholarship showed that I had earned a car. Isn't it awesome?"

She nodded and gave him a fist bump. "Yes, it is. Don't wrap it around any telephone poles or anything."

"Dad always says, 'Keep the shiny side up!'" He laughed and then put extra force into the gas fishtailing as he left the parking lot.

*****

The rest of the week melted together like the dismal slush accumulating on the sidewalks on road edges; it made traversing anywhere treacherous, but school continued its drudgery. Emma tumbled face-first onto her couch after changing into her favorite sweatpants, hoodie, and fuzzy socks, feeling frustrated and emotionally bankrupt. Sleep pulled her under while her television still held Netflix's title screen.

A steady knocking at her front door roused her from a nap. She squinted at the clock on the wall before rolling onto her feet; it was after seven p.m.

The pounding began again.

"Coming," Emma shouted, turning on the lights in the den and staggering to the front door. She flipped on the porch light and opened the door. 

A stout older woman dressed in a black power suit stood there with an air of authority. Emma tried to figure out who the woman was as her politician's smile told the teacher that she knew who stood at the door, unlike her.

"Dr. Swan, I know it is a Friday evening, but I was hoping I could have a minute of your time."

A blonde eyebrow rose. "Um. Who are you?"

Pulling her glasses from her nose, the woman burst out laughing. "My apologies. Eugenia Wolf. Might I come in? It's too cold for these old bones."

Emma's eyes widened in recognition. "Yes, of course. Come in. Can I get you anything? A coffee, maybe?"

"That sounds wonderful, dear. Lead the way to the kitchen."

"Right." Emma closed the door. "This way." She used her hands to smooth her hair as she went. 'Why is the superintendent at my house? This can't be bad, can it?'

Ms. Wolf found a seat at the breakfast bar while Emma brought her coffeemaker to life. "I hope you don't mind caffeine this late. I don't do decaf."

The older woman crossed her hands in front of her and responded. "That suits me just fine. I wanted the two of us to finally meet since I have spent the last week interviewing every single student on your roster and many of their parents."

After putting the pot on, Emma turned to face her. "I'm going to assume that since we are in my home and not your office that I'm not fired," the blonde suggested.

"That would not be inaccurate. Emma, I interviewed 163 students and 52 parents in three days. The only and I do mean the only negative comment I heard came from Mr. Evans. I think you should know that your students and their parents adore you." Mrs. Wolf removed her glasses and set them on the cabinet next to her. "And, as for your chauffeuring services, I only wish more teachers were willing. I am tired of going to funerals because students are more afraid of being punished than dying."

Feeling overwhelmed with the woman's words, Emma busied herself pouring two cups of coffee.

"Mrs. Wolf, I am partial to creamer in my coffee; could I interest you in sugar, creamer, or milk?"

"Black is fine. And, for this evening, you can call me Eugenia. We aren't at work."

Suddenly, clarity struck Emma. "You didn't come here to tell me about this investigation."

"No, I didn't." Eugenia took a sip of her coffee and set it down again. Tears filled the older woman's eyes, and she cleared her throat. She blew out a slow breath. "I hate doing this. Most of the time, I just hold a meeting before or after school to inform the staff, but this happened this afternoon, and I knew they are yours. The Davis children and their mother died earlier this evening. When they got home from school, it turned from their dad picking them up for a weekend into a murder-suicide. No one knows what triggered it."

Emma dropped onto the nearest stool, visibly shaken. 

"Is there anyone I could call? You shouldn't be left alone to process this." 

Eugenia observed Emma. She hadn't spoken a word in close to ten minutes. Then, finally, with a shake of her head, Emma said. "There isn't anyone to call. It's just me. Are we going to have grief counselors at the school Monday? Sorry, I don't know the protocol here."

The older woman nodded again. "It will be all over the news tonight. I think Monday morning. I'll have an emergency faculty meeting to tell all of you how we are approaching the day. My best suggestion is to make your plans for Monday and Tuesday rather fluid. The kids might not be up to much.

*****

Monday came and went on a tide of tears. As Ms. Wolf had warned her, the emergency faculty meeting occurred. The media center transformed into a grief counseling suite. Walking past the space added an immovable weight to the blonde's already drooping shoulders. All at once, Emma realized how few adults read/watch the news. More of her peers reduced to slobbering messes than she anticipated. Then, the children entered. Although the Davis children had been kind, intelligent, and thoughtful people, their real friends remained few and far between--Emma grew amazed by how many students suddenly had stories of their close friend Kirsten or Billy. Attention seeking behavior annoyed the blonde. Many tried to steal the attention away from those who needed it fueled anger and resentment that she believed long dead.

**_ Thursday _ **

"Faculty, we have an emergency meeting this morning in the media center at 7:45." Emma flinched at the jarringly loud announcement. Her eyes met Regina's; they were both checking their mailboxes.

"Do you know what this one is about?" Regina asked, raising an accusatory eyebrow.

Emma shook her head. "Nope. Monday's I was given a heads up, but not for this one."

"Really," the brunette stopped her by grabbing her sleeve. "What little birdie told you about the last one?"

Emma raised her eyebrow in challenge, then changed her mind. She shook off the flirtation retort. "If you must know, the superintendent felt I had earned a personal heads up since she had put me through the wringer over Evans."

Knowing that Regina gaped behind her in wonder, confusion, and a little bit of horror, the blonde walked away. A few seconds later, the clicking of her heels announced that the English teacher had snapped out of her stupor. Mal soon joined as did many others. They pushed through the double doors and ignored the security arms that prevented book theft. Teachers stood in clusters around the room. An undefined, creeping hush settled on the group. Dread welled beneath the surface, trying to break through their almost normal behavior--they'd minimally recuperated from their grief.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" a sob cracked Gold's usual professional stoicism. Superintendent Wolf stood behind him, faring no better. He cleared his throat and fought back the tears. "Much like Monday, I have to be the bearer of awful news. This time, few of us will not be touched. Grief counselors will be here, but I have asked the grief specialists to visit individual classes. One will be stationed in Swan's room all day as well as Mills."

Both women swallowed harshly as every eye turned on them for an answer that neither had. Emma escaped Regina's worried eyes by turning her head away.

"The media center will be a quiet space for those who cannot handle being in a classroom today. If any of you need to be relieved from your classroom." The blonde tried to make sense of those words. 'Why would we need to be covered? We are already on campus.' She thought but didn't voice her question. Watching Gold struggle to keep it together; she knew that his next words held the potential to destroy the room.

"Less than thirty minutes ago, I received notice that we've lost another student. Henry Nolan died in a car accident a little more than an hour ago. Apparently, he was broadcasting live from his phone and driving. He died on impact. As you can imagine, many of our students witnessed the event via social media. Please be mindful of your words when handling our and their grief. An ill-placed word can devastate as well as can comfort."

Numb to her core, Emma dropped to the nearest chair. She vaguely registered Regina asking if she needed anything. Uncomprehending, her mind refused to decipher anything around her--nothing held meaning. The world faded into a lifeless static around her until the bell rang. Then, one word screamed into existence. MICHAEL.

She grabbed her things, sprinted through the halls to her classroom. She vaguely recognized the woman leaning against the nearby lockers. "Dr. Swan, I will be spending the day with you today."

"Right. And you are again?" Emma croaked out. 

"Dr. Greene."

The blonde opened the door and dropped her things behind the desk. "As far as I'm concerned, you have free reign." Emma motioned with her hand, hoping the woman could tell that her body and mind weren't speaking. Every word and action since Gold spoke came from involuntary response or rote memory.

Students filtered in quietly, dazed, and lost. Michael arrived last. He paused in the doorway, struggling to cross the threshold. He failed and recoiled.

Eyes overflowing with pain, the boy paced in small agitated steps outside the room. The blonde turned, signaled to the counselor to watch the large group. Emma closed the door behind her as she approached the tortured soul.

"It should have been me." He muttered. "He had a family. A future." He shook his head in disbelief. "It should have been me."

Wrapping both arms around him, he collapsed into her sobbing violently. "Shhh," she whispered into his ear because comforting words refused to surface. 

Michael clung to her like a koala bear for the rest of the week. Neither said anything, but they needed the other's presence to face the long day.

When Friday ended, Emma couldn't remember having gone home, showered, and returned for the last day of the week, her body performing the ritual on automatic. She knew of it in the way one understands the seasons have changed--the evidence.

Once again, finding the refuge of her home, she opened the door to an oppressive silence. She followed her daily routine, changing, considering food, then deciding food required too much effort. She wandered into the twilight filtered den where the ghosts of her past lurked in the darkness waiting. 'No one cares about you,' they. Their voices swirled and spun, taunting over and over.

"Stop," placing her hands over her ears; she crumpled to the floor, crying. She didn't hear the door open, nor did she acknowledge the arms circling her. But, the warm breath tickling her ear told her she wasn't alone anymore. The world faded in and out as her pajamas replaced her clothes. The flickering half-light from the television lit the bedroom while tender fingers played in her hair. Regina's smell enveloped her while she drifted to sleep on her chest.

**_ Saturday _ **

"I don't want to go." Belligerent as a child, Emma lay in her bed pouting.

"As you put it earlier, I don't give a flying fuck. Get your ass out of that bed, get showered and dressed. We are meeting the girls for brunch." Regina commanded. She refused to bend. The blonde's semi-catatonic state for the last several days made her afraid to leave her alone. "I need this, and so do you."

"I don't need to be in public. I can't--" Emma choked on her tears again. "I can't deal with people."

Regina sighed and crossed the room, bumping their foreheads together. "We're going to Mal's. We are talking about four people plus yourself. That is all. Not a crowd. Certainly not the public."

Thirty minutes later, Mal opened her front door. "I'm glad you could make it, Emma."

"Whatever." 

If she found it odd that Ursula, Mal, and a woman she had never met all hugged her tightly, she didn't say a word about it. She vaguely remembered eating something tasty, but didn't participate in the conversation; her mind refused to follow. But, a secret smile curled her lips as she cuddled into the overstuffed couch between Regina and Mal as the women talked away the afternoon.


	11. April

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally come to a head where Emma hears Regina plainly state how things are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF I get the opportunity to finish the next chapter before next weekend, I will post it. But, my 50th birthday is this week...I am making no promises.

Regina continued to care for Emma in a form that almost resembled parenting for the remainder of March. Emma woke as the little spoon found clothes sitting out for her after the morning shower, followed by a prepared breakfast waiting in the kitchen. At lunch, food appeared in front of her, whether she hid in her classroom or searched for some company in the lounge. Regardless of Emma's emotional state, Regina fed a warm meal to her. By the end of the first week of April, the blonde eased into connecting with her world. She started running in the mornings, leaving the brunette to sleep a little longer; she returned to an omelet and coffee. Instead of hiding in her room for lunch, most days, she chose to sit with Mal and Regina, although the conversation flowed around her in the comforting lull of pebbles in a brook. But, as time went on, she realized she mentally never tuned into the conversation. Her first effort caused her heart to freeze in her chest.

"Are we flying out tomorrow night or Saturday morning?" Mal inquired around her mouthful. "I know you told me Monday, but with this migraine, I can't remember."

"It's been months since I bought the tickets, but we chose Friday. I'm going to have to pull up my email and find it." Regina's eyes fell on Emma, who had frozen next to them. "Do you think she'll be alright with us gone for a week?"

Mal scoffed. "Despite how you've behaved for the last two weeks, blondie is an adult. In case you haven't noticed. She is capable of caring for herself."

The brunette leaned forward and pushed a blonde curl behind an ear. A shiver raced down the blonde's spine. Emma's face showed a hurt-filled confusion as she caught Regina's gaze. The brunette offered a tender smile that eased hollow pain growing inside her.

"We've been planning this Caribbean Cruise since June and bought the tickets in August. A refund is impossible. I've already tried."

Mal snorted. "Of course, you have. I tried to see if Ursula could get a ticket. They sold out, so you and I will share a stateroom for a week."

"Fun in the sun." They clinked their coffee cups together.

Emma picked at the remainder of her food but couldn't eat another bite. Nor could she bear to speak. Her stomach knotted painfully. She wondered how many vital details she'd missed over the last two weeks simply because she struggled to connect with reality when not teaching. She knew her course so well most lessons came without effort or thought.

Mal picked up her lunch container and left; she sensed the tension growing at the table.

"You're leaving me?" Then, Emma blinked, thinking about the words that launched out of her traitorous mouth. She held up a hand to prevent Regina from responding. "Nevermind, you are not my mom, my girlfriend, or my caretaker. I've let myself get out of control for the last week or two. For that, I'm sorry, but I never asked for your help. I don't need it. I'll see you after Spring Break."

Emma left the lounge choking on unwarranted tears.

At 6 p.m., Regina left her classroom with her things. She stared at Emma's darkened classroom. The door locked.

**_RM: Where are you? I'm ready to drive us home._ **

**_ES: I found my way home. You didn't need to bother. Sorry I've been so useless._ **

**_RM: You've never been useless. OMW_ **

Gaging how long it would take for her to arrive, Emma plated their food and carried it to the dining room. The blonde sat at her table, waiting for Regina to arrive. Her place set exactly as the woman would have done. 

When her front door opened, the blonde poured the wine and sat waiting patiently for Regina to join her.

"Emma--" distraught, the brunette's voice rang out from the bedroom, then the kitchen. 

A smile snapped into existence at the gasp from the doorway. "I thought I'd surprise you with dinner."

The brunette eyed her warily but soon took her seat. "This isn't what I expected."

Emma sighed. "I know." In her first nervous gesture of the evening, Emma's eyes refused to meet that of her guest. 

Soft caramel eyes held a mixture of want and understanding as she gazed at her dinner companion. In the time since lunch, she had erected walls around her heart and mind that Attila the Hun would consider daunting. Regina opened her mouth to ask a question but thought better of it. "This looks lovely. Thank you for cooking tonight."

"It seems the least I should do given the circumstances."

The brunette's brow furrowed. "I am afraid I don't understand." Shaking hands lifted her first bite to her lips. She savored the exquisite taste. 

Emma chewed her bite slowly and took a sip of her wine before setting her glass back down. 

"I owe you a debt of gratitude for you caring for me these last two weeks, even though I am not entirely sure how it happened." The blonde cleared her throat. "I've tried remembering since lunch, and I can't." Biting on the tip of her finger, her eyes lost focus as she walked through the event she recalled. "We were told about Henry, and then everything fogs up. I vaguely remember dealing with the kids except for Michael. Him, I remember. But, then, you were suddenly there, making sure I ate, went to work, and rested. Did I ask for your help? If so, I'm so sorry because I was way out of line." She winced before her last few sentences fell from her lips. "I hate being a burden to people. I apologize for asking for something that wasn't your responsibility. I promise it won't happen again."

Regina's throat constricted, watching the blonde shrinking before her eyes. Olive fingers reached across the table and cradled Emma's paler ones. "Oh, Emma. You are never a burden. And, I would gladly do it again." The blonde pulled her hand away and dropped it in her lap before picking at her nails. 

Trying to understand the creature sitting before her, Regina noticed that the Emma she knew, the one with the fire to fight back and the inner light to shine while doing anything, had been snuffed out, leaving behind ashes.

Regina needed the courage to continue. She swallowed a sip of her wine and prayed that Emma accepted her explanation. "That Friday, I called you from across the parking lot. Even from ten feet away, you kept moving like you couldn't hear me. I followed you home. When I arrived at your front door, it hung slightly ajar. I rang the bell, but you didn't answer. I'd seen you dash in, but honestly, I was worried, so I pushed it open and found you."

Regina shrugged as the first of many tears rolled. "I can't tell you how worried I'd been for days. Before he died, you'd already started losing weight. I hadn't seen you eat a meal in weeks. I was losing you before-- I couldn't stand by and let your grief swallow you whole. So, I took care of you. You aren't a burden. You never could be."

Emma nodded, but her lower lip quivered dangerously. "Thank you. But I need you to quit." Regina blanched at her word choice. "I appreciate all you have done for me, but I think it's time for me to go back to being alone; It's safer for me."

That night the blonde cradled a pillow to her nose, inhaling the other woman's scent, and cried herself to sleep. Emma forced herself from her bed, dressed and to do everything that Regina would have. Then, she spent all of Friday avoiding Regina and Mal. She didn't want to see the pity in their eyes.

*****

**_RM: The water is so blue. I wish you were here._ **

Emma's wicked imagination conjured Regina's image wearing a sundress with the wind whipping her hair and her dress. With every footfall against the jogging trail, her mind conjured more photos of what the brunette did. Her phone vibrated against her arm. She stumbled and stopped to check the message.

**_Mal: I know Regina won't, but you need to see her swimsuit. I think you'll find it inspirational._ **

"Holy hell," Emma muttered. Her mouth salivated over the golden hue as the sun hit the Latina's skin. She whimpered, put her phone back on her arm, and swore not to look at the next one.

She promised herself that every single time. She lost count once she hit double digits. But, the black bikini was her favorite.

**_RM: Martinique was beautiful. I apologize for the photographs Mal sent you. I promise it wasn't me. ;p_ **

Emma ignored the texts or tried to, at the very least. She never responded, even if she may have saved some of the photographs for another time when she might be alone. In the middle of the night, when salacious thoughts ran amok, she promised herself to erase them all.

But, Regina in a bikini couldn't be deleted. 

You can't destroy perfection. Ever.

Mal sent the last series of photographs while waiting at the airport in Miami for a flight home.

By the time school resumed after Spring Break, Emma had adjusted to sleeping alone again, even if that meant that she had to run ten or fifteen miles before bed to find sleep. Or that her phone became her bedtime companion. She still woke crying more often than not, but she found a six-mile run helped her face the day. She managed to avoid her favorite brunette for the first day. Emma managed to exchange little more than a hello with Mal picking up her morning coffee. But, she'd succeeded in putting space between them and her; now, she had to maintain it.

*****

"What do you mean she hasn't signed her contract yet? The cut off is today." Regina flipped through Belle's list of confirmed faculty contracts.

"She said she had nothing holding her here, but as far as I know, she hasn't applied elsewhere yet," the assistant offered to watch Regina grab the contract from the stack and marching down the hallway.

Emma's door slammed against the wall with force as Regina barrelled into the nearly empty classroom.

"Sign it!" she snarled.

Dumbfounded as to what Regina hoped to accomplish, Emma stared up at the other woman. "What?"

"I said, sign it. You don't get to run away this time. Stick it out."

"Why?"

"You know why. "

"Do I?" Emma shook her head. "At one time, I would have agreed with you, but that was back in the fall. Now, I don't. So, this is it, Regina. Say it. I need to hear you say it."

Silence.

"That's what I thought." Emma's expression morphed from anger to frightened then to blank.

Regina stared open-mouthed and panicked. With slow, deliberate steps, she walked over to the doorway,

"So, you are really leaving?" Regina's voice cracked as she stood in the open doorway. 

"We've talked about this. There is nothing for me here but pain and misery. I can't stay." The blonde looked away, not able to watch the brunette walk away. The slamming of the door behind her made the blonde jump; then, a few tears trickled down her cheeks. She wiped furiously at her eyes, feeling betrayed and hurt, but knowing this was how it needed to be. 

A sigh close behind her drew her out of her head. 

"You are still here."

The brunette winced. "Could you clarify what you meant by that? I know we've had our disagreements, but I didn't think I made you miserable." The soft tone of her voice sucked Emma into her orbit. Her feet slowly crept toward the other woman.

"No. You haven't. I am talking about the future. I'm not enough for you to go out on a limb, so here I am, left on the sidelines. Someday someone you deem worthy will come through that front door, and here I would be with a front-row seat in the friend zone; I'd get to watch them sweep you off your feet. I don't think I could sit through my twenty minutes at lunch every day, trying to pretend my heart wasn't dying a little bit at a time as you fell in love with someone else."

Their eyes danced across each other's faces. Emma couldn't read the expression on Regina's features. At first, she looked elated, but then it shifted into something undefinable. Teeth raked across a red lower lip, then a timid step closer.

The exasperation in the brunette's voice didn't change the impact of her words. "For Christ's sake, I am crazy about you. Is that blunt enough? Do you understand? There is no one else who is going to sweep me off my feet. You have already done it." Regina stood, too afraid to make a move. She couldn't allow the blonde to get away this time.

Much to Regina's surprise, Emma's face crumbled. Another tear escaped, but Emma quickly wiped it away. She sighed again dramatically. "How can you possibly say that? You barely know me. When I thought we were finally going to get to know each other, you decided you weren't ready, which we both know is a nice way to let someone down easy. I'm not what you want. I never was. Never will be. I am not worth the effort. Nearly every exchange you and I have had could be construed as a debate at best or a full-blown argument at the worst."

"You know that isn't true. We have talked. Some. Not enough, but some. Please, sign the contract. I don't want you to leave."

Eyes shining with unshed tears sought out honesty in the other. "But that isn't the same as wanting me to stay, is it?" Emma chewed her lower lip pensively. The hurt in her eyes glowed as brightly as the stars on a moonless night.

Regina swallowed the negative ideas screaming through her mind. "Did you know that you uncontrollably sigh when you are sad, stressed, depressed, or tired?" The brunette's lips curl into the hint of a smile. "And, you twirl hair around your ring finger when you're anxious. Your eyes glaze over when you are bored, but you hear every word said. I've often suspected you are making a list of things you should be doing instead during those moments. You can hold your own in an argument about anything, but you rarely say anything that would genuinely hurt the other person--you have too much conscience for that." Stepping back into the blonde's space, one hand brushing away the droplets racing down pale cheeks. "You love and adore your students more than you do anything else. And, probably more than you should for your health." The golden highlight's in the brunette's eyes shine and flash with her words. "Your lessons are often unorthodox, but they teach the students on a different level than they have before making them engage with history; you make it meaningful. You lose sleep to talk to the ones who are struggling at home. You put your money in some of the students' lunch accounts because their parents have too much pride to get free and reduced lunch. You aren't willing to let your babies starve." Leaning her forehead against Emma's temple, she whispered the last few thoughts into the woman's bleeding soul." You drink or run away when you are heartbroken. You refuse to ask for help. And, you are the most beautiful person inside and out that I've ever met. And that terrifies me. But, I'm more scared of losing you right now than what will happen when we finally go out on a date."

Regina turned her back, a little out of breath, and walked back to where she had left the offending piece of paper. She grabbed it and a pen off the teacher's desk. She took a few tentative steps and stopped at the table next to Emma. 

"I am sorry that I never told you what an amazing person you are. I have spent too much of my time making you wish you were anywhere else. All I have ever wanted to do was hold you close and tell you that you are the kind of person I wish I could be."

She deposited both items on the table; then, she slicked down her skirt with her hands.

"If you find yourself to be as worthy of a happy life as I think you are, please sign that goddamn contract. The kids and I will never forgive you if you don't. Michael will be devastated; please keep him in mind too."

**_Later that Evening_ **

Regina sat in bed eating cookie dough ice cream and trying not to cry. 'How could she not see that I want her to stay?'

Her phone chimed. Expecting Mal to have responded to her earlier text, seeing Emma's name brought the first smile to her lips since she left the school.

**_ES: Belle has my SIGNED contract._ **

**_ES: Sometime soon, I would like to address your very long and detailed psychoanalysis of me. Maybe, we could get together and have another one of those conversations._ **

**_RM: I think it's time we moved on from those. Don't you?_ **

**_RM: I know you and I are both sick of the overly dramatic promposals, so I'm going to make this succinct. Dr. Swan, would you do me the honor of going to prom with me? I know we are both designated chaperones, but I would thoroughly enjoy it if I could spend the evening with you._ **

**_ES: Dr. Mills, I do believe that sounds lovely. However, I must insist our first date is not prom. Too much temptation to become a cliche'._ **

**_RM: Gladly, will you allow me to cook you dinner tomorrow?_ **

**_ES: That depends... what's for dessert. ( ͝סּ ͜ʖ͡סּ)_**

**_R_ ** **_M: . . ._ **

Emma watched the three dots appear and disappear as Regina tried to write a suitable response. Still, the previous texts' formalness told the blonde that the brunette had been terrified since their earlier confrontation or maybe flustered beyond recognition.

**_ES: BTW, for prom, would you prefer I wear a dress or a tux? I can do either._ **

The attached images locked every thought in her mind. In the first, Emma wore a lovely form-fitting wine red evening dress with a slit that went to mid-thigh. The lace bodice gave the illusion of skin on display yet covered everything beautifully. In the second photograph, Emma rocked a tailored tuxedo without a tie; her shirt unbuttoned far enough that Regina had no doubt that she'd skipped wearing a bra that night.

**_ES: I'm waiting…_ **

**_RM: Yes. Dress. I'm afraid I couldn't remain the responsible adult if you were to wear the tux. We shouldn't get fired for our behavior at the hotel ballroom._ **

**_ES: True. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing if we could resolve some of our issues behind closed doors before prom. Besides, we have already shared a bed, and unless you helped me shower while blindfolded the first night, I'm fairly certain you know what I look like naked._ **

**_RM: . . ._ **

**_ES: Would I be out of line if I said that your black bikini left me more than a little thirsty. Mic drop._ **


	12. May Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get their shit together. Fluff and smut. Heavier on the fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story only has another chapter or two before the sequel will appear. There will NOT be a time jump, but I thought each year could be one school year...note this is the 17-18 school year...
> 
> PS. I hope the sex scene is decent. They really aren't something I'm particularly good at writing.

Emma knocked on Regina's door at precisely 7 pm. She checked her clothing one more time, not wanting to disappoint the woman on their first date. The other woman opened the door and offered a shy smile. "I was beginning to wonder if you changed your mind. You sat in your car for five minutes."

"You said 7."

Honey-colored orbs drank her in before she answered. "I did. But, I'd allow you to be early, especially dressed like this."

The blonde blushed. After leaving work, Emma showered and then agonized over her clothing choices. She didn't want to wear jeans and a t-shirt as it would imply Regina wasn't worth the effort. She didn't want to go too formal because the date had enough pressure already. She chose slim fit black slacks that hugged her muscular legs tighter than she would be willing to wear to work, along with a blouse that Regina had appreciated on her more than once in her early days at LBHS.

"Dinner smells wonderful."

Regina grinned. "I'm glad. If you follow me, I am ready to serve."

Emma smiled, seeing the candlelit table for two. "Wow. You went all out for this."

"Of course, I did." Pushing lightly on the small of the younger woman's back, she ushered the blonde to the nearest chair and held it out for her.

"I'll be right back with our dinner."

Setting the plate of chicken parmesan in front of Emma, Regina pecked the woman on the cheek before sitting on the other side of the table.

"This looks amazing." Emma suddenly froze and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. I must sound fake. I'm nervous."

The brunette's tight-lipped smile. "Me too. Maybe, the wine will help us."

"Maybe."

The blonde moaned with the first bite. Regina enjoyed her reaction immensely; she shifted in her seat and hoped Emma didn't notice her body's response.

Watching the younger woman eat, Regina realized how much thinner her frame had grown over the last two weeks. Parts of her appeared more muscular, but overall she seemed smaller.

"What if we quit pretending we don't know each other and communicate?" Emma suggested after finishing her mouthful.

"Have you been training for a marathon or something?" Regina asked, trying to sound casually interested, but her eyes betrayed her by tracing the pronounced veins popping along Emma's forearms.

"No, why do you ask?" Emma observed her dinner companion, trying to decipher how much the older woman had guessed.

"Em-ma," Regina's pink tongue peeked out as she debated how to word what she wanted to say. "Ever since I returned from Spring Break, I've seen you running in the morning and evening. I didn't remember you doing that earlier in the school year."

Emerald eyes nervously dropped to her meal; Emma grew quieter, focusing on her food but Regina. The blonde chewed slowly and then sipped her wine before setting her fork down. "No, I didn't use to run that much. When I moved here, I ran 5 or 6 miles every morning. It helped me get through the day with a sharper mind. But then winter hit, and I only ran a few mornings. I'm not a fan of icy sidewalks."

Regina listened to Emma's words but failed to understand why something felt wrong. Her guest chewed on her lower lip and avoided eye contact. "Would it be okay with you if I told you about it after dinner?"

"Sure?" The brunette's confusion bubbled through her response. "Why?"

The blonde shrank in her chair. "Because it's embarrassing and kinda pathetic. Well, to me, it is. You might not see it that way."

The two of them finished the meal in near silence. Whether she had intended to or not, Emma had ended their awkward exchange on an uncomfortable note.

"I'm sorry," Emma stated, putting down her fork. "I promise I'm not shutting you out."

Melancholy coffee eyes tried to hide insecurities. "Let me get the dishes, and I'll join you in my study." Regina reached for the blonde's plate, only for her to refuse to relinquish it. 

"Nope. We are tag-teaming this."  
"What?" Golden flecks flashed in coffee brown. "You are a guest."

"No, I'm your girlfriend. We need to do these things together." The slight pink tint in Emma's cheeks gave away that she hadn't intended to pronounce her thoughts quite that way, but as usual, she'd prefer to go forward than backtrack.

Regina's lips turned up at the corners. "Most people discuss such things first." She walked into the kitchen with the blonde on her heels.

"True. But, you and I have not been conventional about anything to date." Emma glanced around the room. "How about I wash while you put away the leftovers. And, then, while I'm washing the pans, you start drying. Then, you can show me where everything goes."

If the brunette had doubts about Emma's intentions, they fell away as they worked. She tried not to compare the woman to her former love, but she couldn't help but think of all the times Dani suddenly had work that had to be done as soon as they finished eating. This blonde, however, hummed along with the music pouring from the Bluetooth speaker in the window.

"My dear, you are full of surprises," Regina stated, plainly showing the blonde where she kept her dishes.

"And, you, my queen, have extraordinarily low expectations if this little bit makes you happy."

Dropping the dishtowel on the cabinet, Regina entwined their fingers. "Do you want more wine?"

"Nah. I think I would rather be present for everything we say tonight."

Pink dusted olive-toned cheeks again as they walked into her study. "This is my favorite room. It's always felt more like me."

"I can see why." Emma kicked her shoes off under the table and sat in the middle of the sofa, guaranteeing that if the brunette chose to sit next to her, it would be close.

Regina bit her lower lip then eyed her sitting chair.

"Nope. You aren't withdrawing either." Emma pet the cushion next to her. "Kick those heels off, woman. I want legs in my lap. You have a foot massage in your near future." 

Following the blonde's instructions, Regina kicked off her shoes and sat down next to Emma. Regina squealed in surprise; she had failed to prepare for the younger woman grabbing her calves and pulling them into her lap, spinning her on the slick surface of the leather.

With the press of skilled fingers against tired flesh, Emma coaxed the most erotic moan out of Regina she'd ever heard. 

"I take it that you like this."

Blushing profusely, Regina bit her lower lip and studied Emma's face as she worked. "God, yes, I do. Now, will you explain why you have been running yourself to death?"

"Uh, huh." 

Strong thumbs worked the arch of Regina's foot, eliciting more sounds that made the blonde shiver." I know you were taking care of me. And, I know you didn't mean to become my connection to reality or comfort. But, it took everything I had to get out of bed in the morning when you left. That was day one. That night, I lay in bed and watched the time change on my clock for five solid hours. Sleep wouldn't come even while snuggling a pillow that smelled like you." The blonde paused, trying to figure out how to say what she needed to without hurting Regina because she knew all the inflicted damage hadn't been intended. "I felt like you'd left me. For whatever reason, I wasn't enough, and you'd left. And, we both know what I do when I get uncomfortable."

Dark red nails tenderly stretched a blonde curl and tucked it behind Emma's ear. "Oh, Emma. That's not--"

"I know." Open, vulnerable sea-green orbs cut into her heart. "You left because you went on vacation, one you'd planned a year ago. But this is me. I've never had anyone that wanted to stay for me."

Emma's hands had stilled. Taking the opportunity, Regina pivoted and slipped into the blonde's lap. "I wish you could have come with us."

"Me too. But, I don't think we would be here right now if I had."

Dropping an arm over each of the blonde's shoulders, Regina tried to read the woman in front of her. "Probably not."

"Reggie, neither of us have ever been in a real adult relationship. We know what it means to be used and pushed aside. But, we don't know what it means to work together toward something. I want to learn how to do that. I want us to figure it out together. If I'd gone on that trip, we would have spent the entire time avoiding the hard conversations. And, by the time we got home, it would be habitual. We would have ended shortly thereafter."

Plump lips brushed thin ones. "Miss Swan, as much as I hate to admit it, I think you're right. It wouldn't have been good for either of us." Her fingers scratched at the base of Emma's neck sending jolts of electricity up and down Emma's spine.

Emma raised an eyebrow, "And, now we're back to the whole 'Miss Swan thing." She huffed and rolled her eyes at Regina's mischievous grin. "What do you propose we do?"

"I'm afraid I'm all out of ideas of that nature." Using long blond tresses, Regina tugged the blonde's head back. Teasing with her nose as she went, she placed kiss after kiss on her long neck.

"We have to take this slow," Emma said, quickly grabbing Regina's waist before she jumped from her lap. "That's not what I mean." She squeezed the woman's hips then pulled her forward until they were nose to nose. "I'm not taking sex off the table." She ran her tongue over her lower lip as her eyes flashed to the other woman's mouth." I am a lot of things, but a masochist isn't one of them. Have you seen you?" The blonde stuttered when the brunette ground her center into her thinly covered ab muscles. "Oh, God. Right. Um. We are adults, and we aren't strangers. We know who we want, what we want. But, I think we need to set boundaries. We need to remember neither of us has any clue what we're doing as far as a serious relationship goes."

"I can live with that." Regina breathed out, tickling the blonde's ear. She took a pale lobe into her mouth, nibbling and licking before whispering again." So, maybe we should choose how many days and nights a week we spend together. I know that I get clingy sometimes, so I need to make myself sleep alone in my bed several nights a week."

"I do too." Emma whimpered, knowing she ran instead of desperately clinging. "God, that feels good."

Suddenly nails bit into Emma's scalp. She felt the brunette shift in her lap, leaning back. Opening her eyes again, she stared into fierce coffee brown. "And I don't share. We are in this thing together. So no flirting, dating, or one night stands."

"Never." Emma smiled at Regina. "Um. You do know you are the only person I have flirted with or cared to in ages. Lily was a dance partner, and nothing more. You have nothing to worry about from me."

Regina nodded. "I know, but since you saw me taking care of my neighbor's dog and--"

"I'd almost forgotten about that morning." Emma blew out a puff of air and grinned. "Let it go. I have."

Deft pale fingers slipped to the front of Regina's blouse, making quick work of buttons and revealing a royal blue satin and lace bra. Pushing the offending fabric away, Emma delicately traced the other woman's collar bones. Regina surged forward, melding their lips.

"Do you have something else to say, dear?" Regina asked, yanking the other woman's blouse over her head. 

"I think it's time to relocate. As nice as this sofa is, I think I want a larger workspace. I'm afraid your coffee table might leave bruises on your skin."

Slipping from Emma's lap, Regina took two steps, dropped her pencil skirt to the floor. She shot a sultry grin over her shoulder as lust blown pupils watched her walking away wearing only thigh high stockings and her lingerie.

"Are you coming, Em-ma?"

Shooting off the couch, dropping her pants as she went, the blonde hastened down the hallway, calling, "God, I hope so. I've been in a dry spell." 

When she turned from the top of the staircase, she saw candlelight flickering. The moving shadows led her to a king-sized bed with Regina stretched across satin sheets, only wearing her evil smirk.

"Damn, you look delicious."

She felt the other woman's hungry stare as much as she could see it. "As much as I like the pastel lace on your skin, I'd prefer you to take it off for me." 

Impulsive and quick with her motion, the blonde unhooked and tossed her bra to the floor. Seeing disappointment filling Regina's eyes, she slowed her moves. She took a few steps closer than eased her lacy thong to the floor, trailing fingers over her muscular legs. Emma didn't miss the moment Regina's pink tongue made an appearance. She could swear that dark chocolate eyes had changed to solid black; the woman licked her lips in anticipation. Holding out a hand to invite her companion to join her, neither woman could believe they had finally made it this far. 

Emma wasted no time, launching onto the bed and pushing her down onto the pillows, bringing her body's full weight to brush against Regina. 

"Hi." The younger woman's greeting sounded shy, although the way she shifted her body, forcing their breasts to rub together, proved the fallacy. They gasped, reveling in the supple sensation. Leaning down to capture plump lips, Emma nibbled the other woman's bottom lip before melting into her. With a kiss, at once forceful and delicate, the blonde explored the cavernous space of Regina's mouth, delighting in the taste and texture. A fiery need burned through Emma's veins; her hands greedily mapped the body beneath her, beginning with Regina's breasts then moving south. Emma's mouth did the same. Biting and nipping at her jaw, neck, down her chest, the brunette writhed, moaned, and panted under her spell.

Emma's talented fingers claimed her, playing her body like she'd known her most precious secrets from the moment life began. One hand paid attention to heaving globes while the other continued to pound relentlessly. A keening whimper drew Emma's eyes back to Regina's face. Angelic in her beauty, tears rained on her cheeks. She met the blonde thrust for thrust. Tangling her fingers in golden locks, and a sharp pull allowed their tongues to reunite in a dance.

"More."

"You feel so good." Velvety walls fluttered around long thin fingers. "Keep your eyes open, baby." Emma implored. 

"Can't," Regina whined.

Sharp teeth cut into the brunette's plump lower lip. Their eyes met while the blonde worked her into a crescendo, palm, and fingers. She loved watching the moment Regina broke before her eyes. Lost in the darkness, the blonde swallowed the other woman's cries as her body went rigid. 

Mahogany eyes blinked open. "How long was I out?"

"A few minutes." Emma's smug response caused a dark eyebrow to rise. "What can I say? I have talented fingers."

"That you do." Regina brought their lips together in a gentle kiss, distracting the blonde while she rolled them over. "But it's my turn now."

She buried her teeth into Emma's collarbone. "I've been dying to mark you since that first day," she husked in the blonde's ear, raising chill bumps along heated skin. Vibrant green eyes slammed closed, a warm, inviting mouth wrapped around her peaked nipple, lavishing it with attention. Regina's tongue swept the saltiness from the taught muscles of Emma's abs; the blonde's body rolled beneath her involuntarily. In what she would later refer to as an embarrassingly quick turn of events, the brunette's inviting mouth found the blonde's clit. She raked her sharp teeth along its surface before laving the pain away. Emma panted, whined, and writhed.

"Oh, God." An evil smirk appeared on Regina's lips. "Someone likes a little pain." She smacked the blonde's hip with the palm of her hand. A loud moan erupted from the blonde's mouth. "That's what I thought." She popped her a second time and thrust three fingers in and curled, going for the sweet spot. Setting an arduous pace, Regina worked her until she felt the other woman ready. She ceased her motions, withdrew her hands.

Lust blown pupils pleaded with her to continue. Instead, Regina wrapped her arms around the pale thigh and pulled Emma's hips closer. With one last grin, she allowed Emma to see her intention. The warm wet muscle of her tongue penetrated deep, Stretching and filling the blonde in ways she had only dreamed, Emma shouted as she came, her juices flowing into the brunette's waiting mouth.

*****

Emma woke sated and sweaty, feeling lips trace the curve of her spine. She hummed in contentment.

"Sleep well?"

"I don't think coming so hard that you forget to breathe counts as sleeping." 

Evil laughter rang out behind her. "Rollover, dear."

"Nuh, uh. Too tired."

"You're spread out like a starfish. I want to sleep in a bed, cuddled against my girlfriend. I can't do that with you playing dead." She smacked the ghostly white buttcheek with the palm of her hand. Emma huffed and barely shifted. A lone emerald green eye peeked open beneath tousled curls. Regina grinned, watching the blonde's tongue remove the last vestiges of their lovemaking from her lips. Slowly, Emma drew her arms in and rolled to face the other woman. 

"Fine, but I get to be the big spoon tonight."

*****

"Are you sure that Gold will find this acceptable?" Emma asked. She'd never worked at a school that same-sex couples felt welcome to appear at school events. The two ladies held hands while walking through the lobby, each wearing a floor-length gown, one in red, the other in black.

"If our music director and his husband can dance and kiss at prom every year, I don't see why we would be seen any differently."

Stunned but relieved at Regina's explanation, Emma kissed their entwined hands together while they waited on the elevator car's arrival. "What floor is the ballroom?"

"We're going to the third floor, dearest." Regina stepped into the elevator first, then pushed the correct button.

They shared an easy smile behind a group of loud teenagers. As they stepped off the elevator, the blonde leaned into her date, whispering, "I find it funny that I missed the prom when I was in high school, but I've attended all of them since I began teaching."

Regina squeezed her hand. "As far as I'm concerned, it's better as an adult. Now, I don't have to worry about who my girlfriend is sneaking off with while I'm trying to dance the night away."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emma asked, bright eyes shining in worry.

Regina huffed. "Not particularly. I've wasted too much time thinking about Dani. I am ready to forget about the past and move forward."

Stepping into the large ballroom, Emma sucked in a deep breath. "Woah. I didn't know Storybrooke gave us this kind of funds."

"They don't. Generous parents do." Gold called to their left. "The prom and its festivities have been an honored tradition since before I was born. The family that owns the hotel reserves this ballroom for us every year without cost. We pay for the food and the decorations, which the alumni tend to cover. Our students pay for the live band and the photographer. It's an ideal situation for everyone." The blonde tried not to stare; Gold's arm remained wrapped around his secretary. "I see you, and my daughter finally worked things out between you."

"Mr. Gold, I thought we had to keep it professional." Regina rolled her eyes.

"We're at a school function, not school. Semi-professional will do. I expect to see the two of you on the dance floor later. We can call it chaperone duties if you wish, but I seem to remember a petulant little girl who loved to dance." 

Regina refused to meet her step-father's eyes; instead, she scanned the room. "We've got quite a turnout tonight. Dad, you never told us our assignments. What do you need us to do here?"

"Be present. Enjoy yourselves. I need you to be our eyes and ears within the crowd. This party needs to be a safe space. Last year, don't forget the Gonzalez girl got roofied. I don't want a repeat."

The revelation shocked Emma. "Wow. I didn't know things like that happen even here."

"Dr. Swan, it happens more than we know. Too many girls are afraid to come forward on college campuses when they are date raped. Please don't be foolish enough to think that the pattern doesn't begin in high school. I want all the girls to know that a boy spending money on you does not mean that you owe him one single thing." Gold's stern voice held emotions that couldn't be seen on his face. "We don't protect our daughters enough from all kinds of predators." He squeezed Regina's shoulders as he led Belle toward their post at the check-in table.

The loud music prevented them from talking, but the two women understood one another enough. The brunette pointed to where a small group of students danced.

"I think we need to show them how this is done." Regina's voice cut above the din. Taking her by the hand, they took to the dance floor instantly. Emma's eyes watched Regina's hips sway as they pushed their way to the center of the bodies before she turned to dance with her partner. The blonde kept pace with the graceful Latina even when Regina's moves became a salsa. As the two danced, they ignored the gawking teens. Both of them noticed the increasing number of bodies the longer they stayed on the floor. The adults gave the younger ones the confidence to step out of their comfort zone. When the song changed from fast-paced to slow, Emma pulled the smaller woman closer. They embraced on the floor, keeping a semi-respectable distance. The history teacher led them across the floor, occasionally spinning Regina then returning her to her waiting arms.

"I'm ready for a water break. What about you?" Emma whisper-yelled into her waiting ear.

"Yes." Regina motioned with her hand for the blonde to lead the way. Again, they half-walked half-danced across the floor, enjoying the gleeful response from the juniors and seniors. Mal waved to them across the room. Ursula smiled in greeting. "I hope the two of you are ready to sit. I'm telling you it isn't normal for people our age to dance for hours on end. You are making us look bad."

Emma laughed at the older woman while Regina grew defensive. "Early 30s aren't that old. Besides, we were having a good time."

Ursula laughed at the dark-haired woman's response. "Lighten up, Reggie."

"I'm going to find some water. I'll be back." Emma kissed Regina on the cheek before darting through the kids.

She found the bar not too far from their table. "Can I have two drinks of water, please?"

The bartender dropped to bottles in front of her. Emma's eyes scanned the kids nearby. Michael leaned against the back of Avery's chair. The two kids bonding made her heart swell. If anyone understood how much guilt and pain a teen could know, those two were it.

Feeling her eyes upon them, the two waved. Breathing out slowly, Emma began to turn loose some of the worries she carried daily. The kids were going to be okay.


	13. NOT A CHAPTER....

I have tested positive for covid and every bone in my body hurts. I have an outline for the next chapter, but I won't be writing anything until I don't feel like death warmed over...sorry to leave you hanging. 

Actually, I have an outline for the next two chapters and a great chunk of the next story outlined so...yeah...I just need to feel better.


	14. May Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty, this is just a tiny bit of resolution fluff. The next chapter is an epilogue that tells you where the next story is headed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who wished me a speedy recovery. I will say there is nothing speedy about Covid. I am still off from work and about half-sick. Some moments I feel fine; others, I feel like a trainwreck. I am thankful to be awake and semi-alert. This may not be the best chapter I've ever written, but I was satisfied enough to share it. I hope all of you are staying well. Best wishes, Capn

**_AP Exam Week 1_ **

**ES: Breakfast in my classroom this morning. See you soon.**

Eddie, the head custodian, met Emma at the school's front entrance at 6:30 to let her get started. She carried in two bags of groceries, then retrieved her box of kitchen wares. Using the cart he'd brought, she rolled everything to her room then buzzed around at a speed no one else could manage that early.

The smell of bacon permeated the air. She examined the long table she had set up with everything the kids would need: plates, cups, plastic cutlery, orange juice, milk, and coffee. At the other, she had the waffle iron heating up, the toaster plugged in, a stack of pre-cut bagels ready for use, and all the toppings the kids could want. Emma opened her classroom door at 7 a.m to find a small group of seniors waiting. 

Kendall stuck his head in the door, closely followed by several more of Regina's students. "Dr. Swan, you didn't have to do this. We aren't even your students."

"I know, but 8 o'clock tests are no joke. All of you need a good breakfast before facing that AP Lit & Comp exam. The College Board doesn't play around."

She motioned them for them to help themselves.

"Eggs and bacon are in the warming trays. I can cook waffles for anyone who wants one. I'm fairly certain you are smart enough to work out the rest of it on your own." 

A few snickers responded, but the kids' eyes lit up as they saw the quantity of food.

"Damn, doc, are you sure you didn't rob the diner?"

"Hardy har har." She whacked Kendall on the shoulder for his poor joke. "I know that all of our stress over getting you here on time. And, we worry that you had the time to eat, so I started this tradition at my last school. I cook breakfast for my kids before their big ones. I'll do a repeat next week for World History."

Students trickled into the room until every seat had a student or their belongings. With plates piled with food, the room stayed startlingly quiet as they nervously ate.

**7:45 RM: No time to eat. None of the kids have arrived at school. What am I going to do? We can't start late.**

**ES: They are here. Quit worrying. Come to my room. You'll see.**

  
  


Regina appeared in the doorway. Her eyes flashed as she examined the room, counting heads. "They are all here. Dr. Swan, I would have appreciated knowing you were stealing my students this morning." The underlying anger flowing in her voice drew Emma's attention.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to give all of you a great surprise this morning. I hoped to boost confidence." Emma watched the vein pulsing on Regina's forehead and knew that her intention didn't matter.

"Hey. I am sorry. Really, I wanted to do something nice for you and the kids. I didn't think--"

"That's right. You. DIDN'T. THINK." Regina huffed through gritted teeth. "Pardon while I have an exam to proctor. Chemistry, I think." She stomped away, leaving Emma's heart beating against her ribs.

The day rolled past with students coming and going. Emma proctored an afternoon AP exam and missed her classes. She hated how disconnected and discombobulated exam days left her because nothing ran to schedule. Retrieving her cell phone from the testing closet, she quickly sent Regina a text hoping that the end of the day had changed her mood.

**ES: See you at dinner?**

**RM: I don't think so. Let's cancel tonight. I want to be alone.**

The late afternoon sun swept into her room, giving it a haunted and empty look. She sighed and grabbed her bag, knowing that tonight would be a long one; sleep never came when her stomach was in knots.

The rest of the week went by with the brunette and the blonde dodging each other in the halls. By the week's end, Emma's AP kids each hugged her on their way in and out of class. Everyone appreciated her efforts, but a pervasive sadness ate away at its core. Dr. Swan's closeness to her students prevented her from hiding her pain. They knew the two ladies needed to talk but couldn't do anything about it. The students took to leaving each of the teachers post-it notes of encouragement ranging from 'she misses u2' to 'just say your sorry, it always makes my girlfriend forgive me.'

Try as they might, neither managed to think of a way to break the stalemate.

**_Saturday Brunch_ **

"Where's your girl? I thought for sure blondie would be here today," Ursula's playful tone dissolved under her girlfriend's anxious head shake.

"No. We have spoken in a few days." Regina's whispered admission brought on pitying looks from her friends.

Kat sat a coffee in front of Regina and squeezed her shoulder. "Maybe, you should try calling her."

The brunette buried her head in her hands. "She won't answer. I've tried a few times. I've left a series of messages starting with one that I am certain sounded worried, but I think my last one probably said something stalkerish."

**_Monday- AP Exam Week 2_ **

The kids, sensing the trainwreck that Dr. Swan was becoming, hurriedly cleaned their plates and left for their test. Emma cleaned the mess left in her room, alone sniffing back tears as she went. Unlike the previous Monday, Emma chose not to eat any of the food. Most of the students worried that perhaps Dr. Swan hadn't been eating. Her cheeks had once again begun to hollow out.

"Thanks for breakfast, Doc. It made my day," Michael hugged her from the side before dashing out the door to find his testing room. She sensed the boy's worry but couldn't shake the impending sense of doom that grew each day. 

She wandered to the office and checked her mailbox before finding herself lodged in front of Belle's desk.

"Can I help you with something, Dr. Swan?" Belle's lilt brought a brief smile to pale lips.

Guilty green eyes darted around at the faculty shuffling in and out; she missed seeing Mal's concerned gaze.

"Uh, I was wondering if suddenly things changed and I um...well, if I decided that maybe I shouldn't have signed my contract. Is it possible to withdraw it for next year if I chose?"

A thoroughly unimpressed eyebrow arched. "Dr. Swan, I assure you that if you want to break your contract, it is possible, but once it's done, it's done. Be sure that's what you want before I go in there and tell Mr. Gold he needs to have your contract pulled. Once I ring that bell, you can't unring it." She leaned on her desk, glaring at Emma like she was a student she had caught vandalizing cars in the parking lot. "Are you certain this is what you want to do?"

"Um, it was just a hypothetical question."

"Well, hypothetically, I am going to say you and I should forget we had this conversation." She leaned further forward. "Talk to the woman, you idiot."

Emma took a nervous step back and eyed the room nervously. "Who?"

"You know who. Go. Get out of here before she hears about what you just asked."

"Right." Emma sprinted from the room like the world was on fire.

She clutched her keys and hustled down the hallway to watch Dr. Hopper's class while he proctored the next exam. She froze, seeing Regina talking to Mal at their duty post. Her eyes met Mal's. Even from that distance, she felt cloying pity aimed in her direction. Dr. Mills turned ever so slightly, but Emma scurried off, deciding she wasn't ready to face her again so soon.

**_Thursday_ **

"Have you seen Emma today?" Regina asked pensively, chewing her lower lip.

Mal rolled her eyes. "No, I haven't seen the sexy swan since you verbally demolished her at lunch Monday."

"I did not." Regina blew out a slow breath. "I just--"

"You just told her she had the forethought of a neanderthal. Honestly, the woman cooks breakfast for you and twenty of your students, and instead of being appreciative, you act like she put them on the next train to Auschwitz."

"I may have overreacted a little."

"You think." Mal sucked her teeth and then took pity on her old friend. "Have you tried talking to her?"

Regina shrugged. "She keeps a buffer of students around her at all times. She has made it clear that she has nothing to say."

"Idiots, the both of you. Have you tried texting her? The words I'm sorry I was such an ass wouldn't' be remiss at this point." The total exasperation on the older blonde's face worried Regina a little.

Dark curls furled around her arms as her head collided with her arms. "I tried," came out muffled in a muffled whine. "Why does she have to make this so difficult?"

"I'm not sure that she's the one making it difficult. What exactly did you say to her?"

"I said I needed to be alone." Regina sat up and stared at her friend. "That was last Monday. She's pretty much avoided me since."

"You mean other than when you flambeed her here in the lounge."

"Maybe."

"I suggest you think of something because you screwed up, my friend."

**_Friday Night_ **

Regina sat in her Mercedes, staring at the darkened front porch. Not a light showed through a single window, yet the yellow crayon sat parked in its spot.

**_RM:_ ** **RU home?**

**_RM_ ** **: I need to see you. Please?**

The brunette slammed her car door, hoping the noise would be enough for a curtain to move. Nothing.

She strode to the door and knocked heavily. "Emma?" She yelled into the door. "Answer me, please." 

The low hum of the cicadas in the early evening created the only noise. She chewed her lower lip and chose to sit on Emma's front porch and wait. Losing herself in her phone for a while, she noted more than an hour had passed. The crunching of footfalls on gravel startled her from her inner crisis.

Stumbling and uncoordinated, Emma slowed to a walk at the edge of the property. Staggering to the porch, Regina stared open-mouthed at the woman.

"How far did you go?" Regina's eyes trace over the drained woman in front of her. Sweat stained clothes and gaunt features cause more than a little alarm.

"No idea. Fifteen maybe twenty miles." Emma breathed out in pants.

"Please tell me you ate first." 

Emma's back remained to her as she unlocked the door but provided no verbal response.

"Emma?"

Emma's throat bobbed as she swallowed nervously. "Couldn't stomach food."

Guilt-ridden caramel eyes turn on her. "Em-ma, you have to put fuel in your body if you're going to run like that." Soft eyes lock on her terrified and sad ones. "Let's go inside. You soak in your tub. I'll bring you grilled cheese and a Gatorade in a minute."

By the time Regina carried a plate with several sandwiches and an icy drink, the blonde had washed and leaned back on the porcelain letting the heat from the water slow the muscle spasms in her legs.

The brunette pulled a small chair and set it next to the tub, and put the plate on it. "Eat."

She slipped into Emma's room and changed out of her dress into one of the blonde's oversized t-shirts before rejoining the other woman in the bathroom. Leaning on the doorway, she tilted her head against the wood and watched the blonde sinking deeper in hot water. Her twisted brow remained the only hint of her discomfort.

Regina scooted the rug to the far end of the tub, reached into the hot water, and began to massage Emma's tortured legs. Knots of muscle larger than her thumb stretched up and down her calves.

"Baby girl, I wish you wouldn't punish yourself." Honey brown orbs turned to half-open sea green. She sighed, seeing the melancholy looming in the shadows. "You didn't do anything wrong. I overreacted." Rubbing the elongated muscles, tension eked out of the blonde woman.

Emma sniffed. "Even so, I upset you. I didn't mean to do that. I wanted to help destress you, and instead, I made it a million times worse." When the brunette hit a particularly sensitive patch of skin, the blonde jolted, then melted into the back of the tub. "That's perfect. Right there. Oh, damn, you are great at this."

A small grin played on full lips. Regina glanced at the half-empty plate in the chair. "Thank you for eating something."

"Thanks for cooking." Emma plucked another cheesy triangle from the plate and stuffed the whole piece in her mouth. "It's delicious," she mumbled in between chewing.

Although neither bothered to sustain the conversation, both women felt the tension between them evaporating.

"Do they hurt?" Olive toned fingers traced over the blackened toenails of Emma's left foot. 

"Not really. It's a hazard of overdoing it."

"I guess we're painting your toenails for the graduation ceremony."

"Guess so." Emma rolled her eyes. "Only crazy people insist on having an outdoor graduation ceremony at the end of May. I mean, what the hell."

Regina laughed. "Graduation isn't supposed to be pleasant. It's meant to be a memory. For some, this is their greatest achievement. We have to celebrate it."

"I know. But, when your memory is of a few hundred people sweating to death, smelling like sweaty gym socks while listening to the world's dullest march and horrendously overdone speeches, is it worth it? Ugh. Please tell me you wear a bikini under those robes. It'll give me something to look forward to seeing."

"Nope." Regina helped the blonde from the tub and then to dry off. "I'm wearing a sundress as are you, so don't be getting any strange ideas about wearing one of your running outfits."

Green eyes glared at her incredulously. 

"Yes, I know you and how you think. Now, come to bed. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes, your majesty." 

They slid into the bed together in the quiet calm of the evening. Regina pulled Emma closer, tucking blonde curls beneath her chin.

"I was afraid we were over." The quavering in Emma's voice made Regina's heart clench.

"We have barely started yet. How could we be over?" She kissed her lover's forehead and sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this fester so long." Regina chewed nervously on her lower lip but clung to the blonde tighter. "That first night, I hoped you would ignore my instructions and come see me. Then I saw you from a distance Tuesday and realized that you weren't angry; you were hurt. Then, I couldn't think of how to make it better. And you know how I get. Once I misstepped every time we spoke, I grew meaner rather than apologetic. I couldn't make myself stop." Guilty tears burned down her cheeks.

"I should have come to see you. I knew you couldn't be that mad, but then I got scared, and well, I couldn't stop running." 

*****

Regina opened the bathroom door to find Emma's naked body still spread across the bed. A pale arm flopped across the blonde's eyes as she whined about the light hitting her face. "Bright light. Can't you see I'm getting a power nap?"

"As much as I love seeing all that sweaty alabaster skin on display, I'm afraid you need to shower, or we are going to be late."

"I don't want to move."

An emerald eye peered out from under her arm. 

Regina smiled at her lover's childishness, adjusted one of her earrings in the mirror before walking over to the bed. She left a red lipstick smear on her sternum and another on her belly, where she kissed her lover. "You need to get moving. As much as I love how you smell, I don't want all the kids to know that we've been fucking like rabbit all day."

Lifting her weight on an elbow, Emma's satisfied smirk shifted into a Cheshire grin. She pointed at the lovebite on Regina's pulse point. "I think that ship has already sailed." Her nose wrinkled in happiness. "They'd be jealous because you are smoking hot, babe."

"Says the woman with a six-pack. Now, move."

Emma winked at her swaying her hips exaggeratedly as she walked across the room before disappearing into the bathroom. She hummed happily, turning on the shower. She'd napped as Regina got ready, having been dismissed as too distracting. She hopped under the hot water and scrubbed head to toe, only stopping to admire her crimson red toenails. The afternoon's exploits had begun when Regina insisted on painting her nails. Emma couldn't be held responsible for showing her appreciation for the help repeatedly. She rinsed her hair and body before shutting off the water. She squeezed the excess water from her hair then grabbed a towel.

"Babe, can you find my dress and sandals, please?"

"I already have." Came a sultry voice behind her. Regina held the garment in one hand. Her shoes dangled from her other. 

"Thanks." Emma towel dried her hair, slipped on her lacy bra and panties. She didn't miss how coffee eyes darkened and flashed with her movements. Her eyes met Regina's as the other woman licked her lips, admiring her view. She ran the brush through her hair quickly to slick it down then made a high ponytail. "Crimson or pink? Should I match my nail polish, yes or no?"

"No."

Pulling the dress over her head, Emma turned and kissed the other woman on the lips. "My hair is staying in a ponytail, and I refuse to wear more makeup than lipstick."

"Ok. I can live with that." An evil twinkle flooded Regina's eyes. "Oh, and Emma, I'm glad you chose to stay." Warm caramel eyes filled with joy; then, she bit her lower lip seductively. "But, I get to help you take that dress off afterward."

"Promise?"


	15. June-Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last in this particular story. I will resume the next story in the series where this one leaves off...still in June. But, that one isn't ready to roll yet. Sorry. Covid has kept me from feeling like writing still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the supportive comments. I promise not to make you wait more than a week or two before I post chapter 1 of the next story in the series.

Post Planning

Regina woke to soft lips pressing against her neck. She hummed happily, snuggling in the blonde's arms. "What time is it?" Part of her struggled with knowing that she didn't deserve the love she had. How could she? Dani would have stayed if she had deserved it, right? Then, teeth bit into the tender skin of her neck and chased away the thoughts of what could have been her life. The bed shifted as Emma rolled to check the time and then resumed her position. 

"7:30," The blonde's sleepy rasp made her hate the thought of work.

Playful lips caressed her bare shoulder, eliciting a satisfied hum. "We don't have time for that, Dr. Swan." Regina bit her lower lip but couldn't suppress the grin spreading across her face. "I know. I'm not trying to start anything, but I am enjoying having you in my bed. And, to think we can do this every single day for two months if we wanted." Emma nuzzled her neck with her nose. 

"I thought we agreed to only a few nights a week?"

Emma ignored her response. "Do you need to go home before we go to work, or do you want to borrow something from me?"

Something warm blossomed in the brunette's chest, hearing the underlying hint of possessiveness in Emma's words. Yet the blonde allowed her the freedom to choose; she gave her support and encouragement. Emma drove away the demons Dani created without trying. With that thought, Regina rolled to face Emma, putting their foreheads together. "Oh, what a scandal we can create if I were to show up wearing your clothes!" An evil grin blossomed. "If you will lend me a t-shirt, I think my shorts from yesterday will suffice." 

"Dr. Mills is wearing casual clothes to school! What will the world think?" Emma's sarcastic comment earned an eye roll. 

"I'm not that bad." Emma kissed her shoulder again. 

"Right." Then, she placed a loving kiss on the top of the brunette's head. "Says the woman who wore a three-piece suit to pre-planning."

"I was assisting the admin." 

Regina's mock defensiveness fell on deaf ears. "I wonder how much money will change hands now that they can prove we slept together?"

"Mal collected money from most of the Phys. Ed. department back in April when we carpooled every day. I doubt if there is anyone still betting on us."

"That's too bad. But, then again, I did take you to prom. I guess we're old news now."

Emma smirked as she tossed Regina one of her well-worn undergrad t-shirts. "Gold didn't wear a tie that day. You were the best-dressed person in the building, and that included two assistant superintendents and a few school board members."

"Someone has a good memory."

"When it comes to you, I remember every single second."

Blushing from her girlfriend's admission, the brunette shrugged and attempted to change the subject. "Well, it's the end of the year, and I am not in charge of the newbies anymore, so I can go be as slovenly as the rest of you."

"Sure, you will. I" m going to grab a quick shower. Don't you dare iron that shirt," Emerald eyes sparkled, knowing full well that Regina would still look runway ready before they stepped out the door.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Thirty minutes later, the two climbed into the bright yellow car. Regina blew out a slow breath and closed her eyes. "I can't get over how easy this feels sometimes."

Emerald eyes dance in the morning light. "Have you never been happy before?"

"I guess not. I thought I was, but I must have been mistaken." Plump lips brushed thin ones. "But I'm learning."

"That makes two of us."

Another half-hour later and the two stood in line at the faculty breakfast. "What is worth eating here?" Emma asked over her shoulder. 

"Mills, I didn't know you went to Tulane?" Mal poked at her friend by yelling across the room, earning two identical eye rolls. 

Red nails pulled the t-shirt away from her body. Regina looked down at the shirt like she'd never seen it before, then put her hand across her mouth in shock, miming to her friend that she'd no idea where she found the shirt.

"The two of you can give up on the farce now. If one more coach gives me a thumbs up, I might vomit all over this magnificent breakfast.

Regina snorted. "The bacon and the biscuits are usually decent. The sausages are usually burned and overly greasy. Avoid the pancakes; their rubbery. The eggs are powdered and the fruit, well, I've never had much luck with it."

Looking at her girlfriend somewhat confused, Emma handed Regina a plate and began to fill her own with bacon, biscuits, and gravy. While shooting daggers with her eyes at the coach behind them, Emma asked, "How exactly can you have luck with fruit?" Regina ignored the question entirely. At the end of the line, the blonde grabbed a fruit cup before heading to the table where Mal sat. As soon as they were both in their chairs, she picked up the fruit cup and peeled back the plastic to see a concrete block of frozen puree.

"See, I told you. I've never had much luck with it."

"You could have warned me, you know." Emma narrowed her eyes in mock anger. "Is this why Michael always joked about chipping his teeth on the peaches?"

Mal scoffed. "Probably."

"If you can hear my voice clap your hands," Belle stated without raising her voice. All the teachers sitting next to her automatically quit talking and clapped their hands twice.

"And, we're all back in kindergarten," Emma's snide remark drew matching grins from the two other women. 

"You know we are worse behaved than the little kids any day," Mal retorted.

"If you can hear my voice clap your hands," the principal's secretary repeated, and more of the crowd joined. As soon as she felt like all of the conversations had stopped, Belle smiled and began talking to the group. "Thank all of you for coming on time this morning for our annual faculty breakfast. Those of you still getting breakfast, please do so quietly as we have several items on the agenda this morning. Ah, there he is...everyone, please give a round of applause to our fearless leader, Mr. Gold."

Gold limped into the room using his cane. The superintendent and several of her staff members followed quickly on his heels. Unlike Belle, he preferred using the microphone. He tapped it. "Is this on?" rang through the room, making the group wince.

He walked over to the podium and lifted a large gold plated plaque. "As many of you know, it is our tradition that the last thing done is our faculty breakfast. This is where we show our appreciation for those who have served with us, new and old alike. And, we always announce the teacher of the year." Murmuring filled the room. 

Emma's brow furrowed. "When did we vote for this?"

"Around the time of Henry's accident."

"Oh." Emma looked lost as she had no idea who had been in the running. "Please tell me none of the smarmy coaches got it."

Superintendent Wolf took the microphone from Gold's hand. "Most of the time, I like to sit on the sidelines and watch these being given. But, not this year. Several months ago, I had an angry parent showing up to the county office demanding the removal of one of the new hires at LBHS. They complained that she was too close to the kids. She cared too much. I will say that when I first heard a few of the details, I was concerned. Then, I did what I've always done. I investigated. I interviewed a couple of hundred students and parents. And, do you know what I found out? Do you? I found out that Mr. Gold had one amazing new teacher on staff. Not only did this woman come in and make the best AP test scores our building has ever seen, and yes, that means she did better than our great Dr. Mills over there. But, she stepped in and protected some of our babies who have no one else. It is my pleasure to present to you the Leopold Blanchard High Teacher of the Year, Dr. Emma Swan."

"What?" Emma stared blankly at the woman in front of the room. 

"Come on down, Emma. This is your moment." Wolf grinned, showing the gold caps on her back teeth. 

"Wow." The blonde stumbled forward, pushed by an olive hand on the small of her back. Mal and Regina stood clapping wildly. Getting to the front, she took the trophy and admired it for a minute with tears pricking at her eyes. "Um. Wow. Babe, did you know about this?" Nervous giggles erupted around them as Regina blushed. 

"Um. Thanks. I don't know what to say." Emma blew out a slow breath. "I've never stayed in a school district long enough that I thought that Teacher of the Year was something I could consider. When I moved here in the middle of the summer, it was just another school in a new town, a new state. Nothing new for me, since I change where I live nearly every year. But, unlike every other place I have been, I found warm and welcoming people from the start. Her eyes fell on Dr. Hopper.

"And, others pushed me to be a better teacher even when I thought they were an arrogant asshat." The loving smile she shined toward Regina brought an "aw" from the crowd.

Her crass language drew only a whack on the shoulder from the superintendent. "I want to say thank you. I mean it. I've never had any place to make me feel as at home as I have here. I can't wait to tackle the next year."

"Just wait until she finds out she has to write five essays bragging about what a great teacher she is for county office," Mal remarked while laughing. "I bet she won't be so thankful then."

"Oh, hush." Regina laughed. "Let her enjoy the moment before they ruin it with paperwork."

After they took a few pictures and presented Emma with a ridiculously large gift basket, she retook her seat with her friends. Superintendent Wolf handed the microphone back to the principal but conspicuously stayed at the front of the room.

A nervous chuckle ran through the crowd as Gold resumed his place in front of them. Regina grew worried, seeing the droop in his shoulders, very uncharacteristic of the man she'd known for decades. "LBHS has long been known for our hospitality. I would like you to give a warm welcome to Superintendent Wolf and the school board for joining us for breakfast. Here at LBHS, we want everyone to know that we are one big happy family."

Regina smirked at how far emerald eyes rolled every time Gold mentioned the school's name. "You do know as a teacher-leader, you should show more respect than that," she whispered in the blonde's ear, knowing Emma wouldn't change.

"There are a few people I would like to recognize for their dedication over their years of service as they are either retiring or moving on to greener pastures." 

"You have no idea how many of those plaques I have collected through the years; most say thank you for your one years of service," Emma cringed, describing them to Regina under her breath. The women clapped for each of the named teachers that neither found any interest in during the year. After the six former colleagues sat down with their plaques, Gold cleared his throat and began to look shaken.

"The end of the school year is always hard because we have to say goodbye to so many lovely people. It has been my pleasure this past year to work with all of you. This has been my twenty-second year at LBHS, and it is with much regret that I must tell you that it is my last. I have decided that it is time to retire."

Regina's head whipped around so that her eyes locked on his. Her step-father's hand motioned for her to keep calm. His eyes didn't waver from hers; there had to be more to this story, but she knew this wouldn't be the time to ask.

"I won't completely disappear, but as many of you know, I went into teaching to make a difference in this community. I spend a few days a month filling in when we are shorthanded. How many classes did I substitute this year: fifteen or twenty? I have attended most of our athletic events and a few of our theatrical productions. But, as I've gotten older, it's become harder. The losses we sustained this year only made it more so. For this reason, I feel it's best if I move on and leave these shoes to be filled with someone younger and lighter of heart."

Sniffles began to be heard around the room as well as many people shifted in their chairs.

"How bad could it be? I mean, it isn't like he is the best principal ever." Emma joked with those around her.

"Yeah, but sometimes it's better to have the devil you know." Mal offered.

"I will be glad to talk to anyone who wishes to drop in to wish me farewell, but this morning I would prefer if we choose to celebrate." 

Regina repeated to herself, "How bad could it be?" An ominous rock took residence in her gut.


End file.
